In the last decade, begging and homelessness have become more visible in Sweden, a country that otherwise has offered a relatively high and equal standard of living for its residents. These newly distinctive groups of poor are often perceived as temporary residents of Roma origin from the European Union, particularly from Romania (SOU 2016:6). The visible poverty of these groups challenges Sweden’s welfare-state self-perception and an understanding of belonging understood as sharing the standard of living of the middle and upper middle socio-economic class in Sweden.  Nevertheless, according to the resident notion in the Swedish Social Services Act (SOL 2:1§) the assistance of people in need is a part of each municipality´s responsibility in Sweden. The purpose of this project is to investigate how do different understandings of national boundaries, socio-economic status and ethnic belonging influence the local integration strategies in Sweden in comparison to Romania.