Rental housing is a critical pathway for migrants and the urban poor to access, participate in, and contribute to the urban economy. Much of their work. especially of marginalized groups such as Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), minorities, and women- and transgender-headed households. remains informal. Thus, their identity and location within the city is often tenuous and housing remains informal and under-serviced. Nonetheless. this housing is affordable and well connected to work opportunities.

In light of this, the Government of India announced the Affordable Rental Housing Complex (ARHC) scheme in 2020 to provide formal, affordable, and well-located housing to urban poor and migrant workers' communities. While the scheme has generated much excitement and is seen as a step in the right direction, discussions have highlighted gaps in understanding about its implementation pathways and raised concerns about who it will serve and how, given the complexity of lived experiences and failure of previous public rental housing efforts.

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