Homelessness and precarious living conditions, such as slums and informal settlements, have recently emerged as critical issues among the urban poor, garnering significant attention from policymakers worldwide. The consequences of housing instability are dramatic, affecting both individual well-being (including skill deterioration and reduced human capital accumulation) and society at large (contributing to decreased labor force participation and higher crime rates), thus perpetuating the vicious circle of poverty. Yet we know remarkably little on the specific factors leading to homelessness and housing instability, as well as on effective policies to foster positive behaviors among homeless individuals and children living in precarious housing. This proposal will help to fill this gap. I will address the following research questions:

• What are the primary drivers of homelessness, and which policies are effective in helping homeless individuals to find a job and achieve stable housing?
• Can we design policy interventions able to facilitate upward mobility among children living in vulnerable housing conditions, such as slum dwellers?

To answer the first question, I will start by collecting innovative longitudinal surveys among homeless individuals in Italy and combine them with large administrative datasets to explore the role of divorce in predicting homelessness (Project 1). I will then design a rigorous evaluation to address physical (i.e. distribution of lockers) and mental barriers (i.e. mentoring programs) among the homeless (Project 2). To address the second question, I will design and carry out two randomized control trials aimed at improving educational attainment of children living in Brazilian favelas (Project 3) and displaced children due to terrorist attacks in Burkina Faso (Project 4). This research adds several innovative aspects to an understudied area in economics: (i) novel survey methodologies for studying highly mobile populations; ii) original data collected through survey work in challenging contexts; (ii) rigorous evaluation methods to limit the consequences of housing deprivation. My findings will inform public policy in the countries of interest and ultimately promote social inclusion, upward mobility and human capital among a vulnerable segment of the population.