'We Reach out but we Also Expect Something in Return': Social Work Engaging with Roma People in Temporary Container Homes at the Edge of the City

In this article, we critically explore the research findings of a qualitative study of local social policy and work interventions, called 'the post-mobile project' in Ghent, Belgium. The project provided temporary housing for families in container units, accompanied by mandatory integration assistance, and was implemented as a potential solution for Romanian Roma families after the dismantlement of two informal settlements in 2020. Our qualitative study explores the underlying ontological assumptions of the social work interventions in this project, and aims to gain insights into the role of contemporary social work practice in Belgium and its impact on advancing or hindering the pursuit of social justice within this Roma community. The study is based on an ethnography as a multi-method approach. Participant observations are complemented by document analysis, semi-structured interviews and focus groups to gain an in-depth understanding of the divergent experiences and opinions of different stakeholders involved in the interventions. The findings reveal different ontological frameworks regarding the way the social problem is defined, the project's goals and the principles guiding practice, thus exposing tensions between the local policy-makers and the social justice orientation of social work practitioners. This article presents the results of a study regarding the 'post-mobile project' in Ghent, Belgium. The project temporarily accommodates Romanian Roma families previously living in informal settlements consisting of self-made houses and caravans, and is accompanied by mandatory integration assistance. Considering the complex relationship social work has with Roma people, there is a need to critically assess the interventions, especially with regard to social work's role in advancing or hindering the pursuit of social justice. In the study, we gained insight into the different underlying assumptions which underpin the social work interventions at stake in the project. The findings reveal different frameworks regarding the way the social problem is defined, the project's goals and the principles guiding practice, thus exposing tensions between a neo-liberal and managerialist approach of local authorities and policy-makers and the human rights orientation of the social work practitioners. Additionally, the study highlights a lack of focus on structural solutions, and anti-oppressive practices in the interventions. We thus conclude that in their urge to formalise all ways of living on their territory, the local government risks to illegalise the survival strategies of those in the margin.