Abstrac Social Housing (SH) is investigated worldwide, especially in emerging economies. However, SH literature demonstrates that there are still barriers to achieving the real benefits of those programmes. Brazilian SH programmes have positively reduced housing deficits and the vulnerability of low-income populations. However, studies developed in Brazil also reveal the negative impacts of SH. Investigating the reason for the recurrence of negative impacts is fundamental to gaining a stronger understanding of the causes and scope of SH problems. Moreover, state-of-the-art studies may support the development of actions to mitigate those problems. Thus, this study aims to categorise the major topics studied on SHs, identify and evaluate SH main failures and impacts, analyse intersections of topics, and understand their scope. A systematic review and literature mapping were applied to analyse SH studies. Although evidence emphasises significant advances in SH production, results demonstrate the intersecting panorama of occurrences that cause negative impacts and stress the need for investments and the implementation of housing public policies aligned with societal interests to improve SH.