20.500.12556/DKUM-95380 Housing and living conditions of youth - caught between COVID-19 and structural challenges This chapter explores the housing and living conditions of youth in Slovenia and Croatia, highlighting how the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated pre-existing structural challenges. The pandemic intensified housing insecurity through job losses, campus closures, and forced returns to parental homes, increasing stress, anxiety, and family strain. Youth in both countries leave home considerably later than the EU average, with financial constraints representing the main barrier to independent living. Croatia faces particularly high overcrowding rates, while in both contexts, housing deprivation is strongly linked to poorer mental health and lower life satisfaction. A severe affordability crisis, driven by rapidly rising housing prices and insufficient public housing, has further delayed transitions to autonomy. These trends reflect broader issues of labour market precarity, deregulated housing markets, and limited social investment. Policy implications include the urgent need for expanded social housing, rent subsidies, anti-speculation measures, and integrated youth-oriented strategies linking housing, employment, and mental health to ensure sustainable pathways toward independence and well-being. youth housing affordability overcrowding stanovanja za mlade cenovna dostopnost prenaseljenost true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Slovenija; Hrvaška; Znanstveno delo 2025-09-16 08:59:03 2025-09-16 08:59:03 2025-09-17 03:18:05 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2025 0 0 Str. 49-71 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 2025-09-03 316.346.32-053.6 247088643 249052163 RAZ_Klanjsek_Rudi_2025.pdf RAZ_Klanjsek_Rudi_2025.pdf 1 4522A5A56C97DD4AAF20378E22CE3421 e6be39a5ef0128161cb22aa9221ed2fe6b5daf3b0874728a0706f2a0a88f2970 2cfd14be-92cb-11f0-8742-00155d000105 https://dk.um.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=198538 https://doi.org/10.18690/um.ff.7.2025.3 1 a2c0328c-92ca-11f0-8742-00155d000105 https://dk.um.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=198537 Filozofska fakulteta Univerzitetna založba Univerze v Mariboru 0 0 0