Promoting social cohesion in social housing: Between professionalizing intermediation and subcontracting the “dirty work”

This article delves into the strategic positioning of service providers tasked with overseeing landlord-tenant interactions in social housing neighborhoods in the Paris region using a crossover between participation and social intervention studies. Disguised as efforts to promote participation and “enhanced communal living,” these professionals struggle between empowering the working classes and exercising supervision over them. However, their role becomes even more precarious as they primarily address tenants’ “incivilities” on behalf of landlords, without the capacity to address the broader social challenges associated with large housing estates. The central hypothesis of this study suggests that these service providers actively work to professionalize rental intermediation from within the system, aiming to bridge the gap between tenant empowerment and assistance. This involves strategic negotiation with landlords and support for collective initiatives.