Precarious living and precarious support infrastructure for migrant housing needs in Sydney, Australia

This paper addresses a critical knowledge gap in understanding the precarious support infrastructure for international migrant housing challenges in Sydney, Australia. Drawing on qualitative data from interviews with key stakeholders (n = 14) at migrant support organisations, the paper reveals that many migrant groups, especially those recently arrived and on temporary visas, often rely on informal and precarious housing pathways that jeopardise their wellbeing and economic and social outcomes. While support networks and services are crucial, their efforts are constrained by systemic barriers within housing and migration policy frameworks. The challenges are particularly evident for vulnerable groups excluded from housing support benefits, such as asylum seekers and international students. The concept of ‘precarious support infrastructure’ is mobilised to explore how policy approaches that decouple economic contribution from social protection work to produce housing vulnerability that third-sector intervention alone cannot resolve. Three key dimensions are identified: severely underfunded services that cannot meet complex migrant needs; unsustainable adaptations through institutional bricolage; and stratified support access creating profound inequality based on visa status. The paper concludes with policy recommendations for developing sustainable, inclusive support systems that recognise migrants’ rights in times of housing and cost-of-living crisis.