Routes Into Destitution Vulnerabilities and Resources of Central and Eastern European Migrants in Switzerland

This report presents the findings of a two-year research project called "Routes into Destitution: Identifying Vulnerabilities and Coping Strategies in the Life Course of Undocumented Central and Eastern European Citizens in Switzerland." The research project was funded by the Swiss Centre of Expertise in Life Course Research (LIVES). The project aimed to better understand the life trajectories of Central and Eastern European citizens living in Switzerland who faced significant precarity, referred to here as "destitution." The research project examined the available social, financial, and human resources and unveiled the social coping strategies of destitute CEE migrants in two Swiss cities: Geneva and Zurich. Vulnerabilities and resources were analysed from interdisciplinary perspectives, including social geography, sociology, social work, social policy, and social rights.

A parallel mixed-method data collection was conducted from January 2021 to March 2023, involving three main sequences: 1) exploratory interviews with key informants; 2) semi-structured interviews with destitute migrants; 3) face-to-face questionnaires among this population.

This report is organized as follows: the first chapter describes the concept of destitution and its application; the second chapter outlines the migration conditions of CEE citizens living in Switzerland; the third chapter presents the research design. In the fourth chapter, we examine the main results, focusing on four life domains: housing, employment, health, and social relationships. In the fifth chapter, we synthesize the impact of resources and vulnerabilities on the individual life trajectories of the affected persons and propose recommendations to prevent the development of destitution among CEE migrants in Switzerland.