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Post conflict and post disaster reconstruction and the right to adequate housing 2011, para. 7
- Paragraph text
- The impacts of both conflicts and disasters for the individuals, families and communities affected can be devastating. These include the loss of life and livelihoods; destruction of homes, property and infrastructure; disruption or termination of essential services; and the prolonged and sometimes even permanent forced displacement from land, home and community. Although wealth and power do not offer any immunity from these impacts, it is in most cases the poor and socially disadvantaged who are worst affected; and it is also they who are least able to withstand economic shocks and so generally take the longest to recover.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Movement
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- Security of tenure, as a cornerstone element of the right to adequate housing, provides legal protection against forced eviction, as well as harassment and other threats. For women, security of tenure is too often tenuous and secondary because it is assumed to be achieved through their relationship with a male - be it their husband, father, brother, or son. This situation falls far short of the standard, and gaps in protection are easily exposed. For many women, once that relationship with a male family member is severed through death or divorce, they are immediately vulnerable to being forced out of their homes. As we know, this is the case for widows who are routinely "disinherited" after the death of their husbands, as well as for women victims of domestic violence where a woman's housing situation depends on her relationship to her abuser.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Women
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- On the positive side, the design of housing itself can certainly encourage greater equality vis-à-vis enjoyment and use of domestic space. An example of new ways of thinking about domestic space from a gender perspective can be seen through the development of housing projects which seek to promote non-hierarchical and more flexible uses of the home. For example, creating personal workspaces inside the home can support women who are more likely to engage in home-based income-generating activities. Another interesting development which can be found in certain policies relates to the design of kitchens, a traditionally female space which is often cramped and separated. The design of housing from a gender-sensitive perspective can better promote family integration, as well as a more equitable sharing of household responsibilities between women and men through openness and shared use of spaces.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Analysis of two alternative housing policies: rental and collective housing 2013, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- In Latin America, a successful example of housing cooperatives on a national scale is the mutual aid cooperatives in Uruguay, which are promoted by the Federation of Mutual Aid Housing Cooperatives. The Uruguayan legislation recognizes collective tenure, and the regulation of the housing cooperatives is encompassed in the 1992 General Cooperative Law. Since 1965, around 600 Federation cooperatives have been consolidated in Uruguay, and around 20,000 families are living in houses and apartments built through mutual aid. Mutual aid cooperatives have been introduced and adapted in 14 Latin American and Caribbean countries over the past 20 years through various initiatives.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Mapping and framing security of tenure 2013, para. 16
- Paragraph text
- Conversely, when access to secure housing or land is provided, the potential for social and economic progress is immense-a fact recognized globally. Tenure security means a lot to families and individuals. It gives people certainty about what they can do with their land or home; and it offers them protection from encroachments by others. It often protects, increases and enables access to public services and benefits. It increases economic opportunities. It is a basis for women's economic empowerment and protection from violence. The relevance of the issue, not only to human rights but also to development, is evident.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Women
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Analysis of two alternative housing policies: rental and collective housing 2013, para. 55
- Paragraph text
- In the Uruguayan model, security of tenure is ensured by a contract between the cooperative and the member ("contrato de uso y goce" of the Federation of Mutual Aid Housing Cooperatives), which is not time bound. Each family enjoys usufruct rights that can be inherited or sold back to the cooperative. The value of the member's share is paid back to him by the cooperative in two instalments over a period of three years and comprises the value of labour hours; maintenance of the common areas; the repaid amount of the loan; and the repaid interest. This prevents a high member turnover and protects the cooperative from gentrification processes.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor 2014, para. 57
- Paragraph text
- Police procedures. Residents of urban settlements and homeless persons face disproportionate levels of police intervention and use of force without due process. In many countries, police enter homes in poor settlements, sometimes in major operations, without a court order, violating residents' rights to protection against arbitrary interference with their privacy, family and home. Homeless persons, who have no choice but to sleep, eat and conduct other life-sustaining activities in publics spaces are commonly harassed, fined and detained for doing so. Police must follow due process and respect human rights in conducting law enforcement activities, including in urban settlements, and ensure that any use of force is strictly necessary and proportional to lawful objectives. States should decriminalize homelessness and ensure full respect by police of human rights of homeless persons.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Families
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
The right to adequate housing of persons with disabilities 2017, para. 22
- Original document
- Paragraph text
- Homelessness for persons with disabilities is also linked to the breakdown of family relationships. A study in Montreal, Canada, of homeless persons with intellectual disabilities found that almost all individuals who lived on the street or in shelters had had no contact with their families since becoming homeless. On mission in Chile, the Special Rapporteur visited a homeless shelter run by the Salvation Army in Valparaiso where many of the residents were persons with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities who had been shunned or abandoned by their families.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
The right to adequate housing of persons with disabilities 2017, para. 79
- Original document
- Paragraph text
- Subnational and local governments have also initiated important efforts to address the right to adequate housing of persons with disabilities. Article XIV (1) of the World Charter for the Right to the City provides for universal realization of the right to housing and emphasizes the need for accessible and suitable locations. In article X of the Global Charter-Agenda for Human Rights in the City, it is recommended that cities adopt regulations to ensure the accessibility of housing for persons with disabilities. Some cities have sought to initiate inclusive zoning policies to prevent restrictions on supportive housing. Others have adopted measures to address affordability, such as housing benefits and/or allowances, grants or loans for required adaptations, lower interest rates on housing loans and reduced housing taxes for families with a family member with a disability.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Migration and the right to adequate housing 2010, para. 44
- Paragraph text
- The segregation within the urban structure of the hosting territory is another dimension of migrant housing conditions: stereotyping, xenophobia and suspicion against migrants and the erection of barriers to keep them away from the local community foster the exclusion of migrants from the urban space. Segregation is also a consequence of insufficient access to social housing and services, which denies migrants access to fully serviced neighbourhoods, confining them to unserviced and unplanned areas with poor conditions and insufficient infrastructure and further fragmenting cities and fostering spatial clustering. Moreover, the need for undocumented migrants to remain invisible to authorities and the desire of all migrants to increase protection among members of each national community and to receive assistance from relatives and friends encourages ghettoized urban spaces.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- Women's right to adequate housing is often denied or ignored within the broader context of family and marriage law. Equality in matters of inheritance is often denied for women and girls on the basis of custom and tradition, whether within the context of the death of a spouse, parent or other relative. This has important ramifications, as inheritance is a primary means by which wealth and resources are transferred within societies, as well as within families. To be excluded from the process of inheritance reinforces women's lack of autonomy and equality, and jeopardizes in a very direct way their right to adequate housing.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- In applying the law, the courts also have a critical role to play. In Kenya, recent judicial decisions referencing the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women have put to rest the persistent conflict between customary legal systems which deny women inheritance of family property on the one hand, and the guarantee of gender equality under the Kenyan Constitution on the other. In the Ntutu case (2008), for example, the Kenyan High Court heard arguments by the sons of the deceased that "Masai customary law of succession … does not recognize the rights of the daughters to inherit the estate of their fathers." Here, the Court applied international human rights law, international covenants and treaties which have been ratified by Kenya, and noted the previous decision of Rono vs. Rono. The Court found "the customary law which shall abrogate the right of daughters to inherit the estate of a father cannot be applicable as it shall be repugnant to justice and morality," and upheld the right of the daughters to inherit equally from the assets of the estate.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Women
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Analysis of two alternative housing policies: rental and collective housing 2013, para. 52
- Paragraph text
- A collective organization enables cooperatives to take on complex housing and infrastructure projects that would otherwise not be possible for an individual household. Community funds provide financial and technical support for the purchase of land parcels and communal infrastructure (such as roads, drainage, water and sanitation). The process typically involves negotiations with other stakeholders, such as the original owners of the parcel and the Government. In the Scandinavian model, the "mother" (also known as "parent" or "secondary") cooperative association is responsible for building housing developments, which are then sold to "daughter" (also known as "subsidiary" or "primary") cooperatives. Financial risk for members is limited to their daughter cooperative.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor 2014, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- Regulatory safeguards should be put in place to protect households facing default and foreclosure, including prohibiting eviction until the household has access to alternative adequate housing. In England and Wales, a pre-action protocol for possession claims obliges lenders and borrowers to follow procedures aimed at ensuring that repossession is a last resort after all reasonable attempts to resolve the situation have failed. In Richmond, California, the municipality voted to use its powers of eminent domain to seize mortgages of households that have defaulted or are at risk of default, when the investor refuses to sell. Under the scheme, the City pays the investor the current market value for the mortgage, often considerably less than the amount owing, and then supports affordable refinancing options for the homeowner. A decree-law in Andalucía, Spain, currently under appeal, allows the local Government to expropriate empty residences that have been repossessed by banks and developers in order to house families who have lost their homes.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
The right to life and the right to adequate housing: the indivisibility and interdependence between these rights 2016, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- Japan has yet to recover and continues to see ever-growing numbers of homeless people. Unemployment rates tripled in a 10-year period in Argentina, resulting in a large number of households being unable to pay their mortgages, rent or utility bills. In Spain, Ireland and Greece, thousands of low-income and poor individuals suffered foreclosures or debt-related evictions and were thus forced out of their homes into encampments or into overcrowded accommodation with relatives and friends, or were left homeless. In these circumstances, increased suicide rates are not uncommon. In the United States, suicides spurred by severe housing stress - evictions and foreclosures - doubled between 2005 and 2010. Europe also saw a 6.5 per cent increase in suicides between 2007 and 2011. In States where social programmes were made available to those affected, similar spikes in suicide rates were not seen.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
The right to life and the right to adequate housing: the indivisibility and interdependence between these rights 2016, para. 24
- Paragraph text
- For women and children victims of domestic violence the home ceases to be the safe haven it is meant to be and becomes the most dangerous place, in some cases leading to their death. Factors such as overcrowded residences, poor habitability and lack of accessible services (water, electricity and sanitation) increase the incidence of domestic violence. Many women in such situations are unable to remove the perpetrator from the house, owing to a lack of family, community and State supports. Further, many women are prevented from leaving violent situations because alternative housing and financial supports are unavailable. Those who do manage to leave home become vulnerable to homelessness and consequently may suffer further violence.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Homelessness as a global human rights crisis that demands an urgent global response 2016, para. 22
- Paragraph text
- The humiliation homeless people suffer in their daily lives cannot be underestimated. Take for example, the experience of women who lack adequate sanitation facilities, especially during menstrual cycles, or of families who are treated like "human waste", forced to establish their households on or next to a garbage dump. Homeless people have told the Special Rapporteur, often through tears, that more than any material security, what they yearn for is to be "seen", to be recognized and treated by society as human beings with inherent dignity and respect.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Homelessness as a global human rights crisis that demands an urgent global response 2016, para. 39
- Paragraph text
- Discrimination is both a cause and a consequence of homelessness. Those who face discrimination on the grounds of race, ethnicity, place of origin, socioeconomic status, family status, gender, mental or physical disability, health condition, sexual orientation and/or gender identity and age are more likely to become homeless and, once homeless, experience additional discrimination. The intersections of other grounds of discrimination with homelessness vary in different countries. In some, for example, racial inequality intersects strongly with homelessness. In Brazil, African-Brazilians make up only 7 per cent of the population of wealthy areas and yet make up the majority in informal settlements. In the United States of America, black families are seven times more likely to be homeless than white families.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Homelessness as a global human rights crisis that demands an urgent global response 2016, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- The ongoing legacy of discriminatory customary and statutory laws on divorce, inheritance and matrimonial property - as well as social practices that attribute housing to male heads of households and the resultant poverty - deprive women of security of tenure and render them particularly vulnerable to homelessness. When women are widowed, separated or divorced, need to leave violent households or flee situations of armed conflict or natural disasters, or are evicted from their homes, they face significant risks of becoming homeless. Divorced and widowed women in Bangladesh and Lebanon, for example, are reported to be living in dilapidated shacks in dangerous informal settlements and women fleeing violence in Kyrgyzstan and Papua New Guinea are left with few housing options.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Homelessness as a global human rights crisis that demands an urgent global response 2016, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights has affirmed that the right to adequate housing is implied in the African Charter by its articles 14 on the right to property, 16 on the right to highest attainable standard of mental and physical health and 18 (1) on protection accorded to the family. It considers that forced evictions leading to homelessness are contrary to the Charter, and has urged all States to report on measures taken to address homelessness and to appoint an independent national body to monitor State compliance with the right to adequate housing.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Post conflict and post disaster reconstruction and the right to adequate housing 2011, para. 19
- Paragraph text
- Failure to take timely appropriate measures can have serious consequences for the people affected. In post-conflict contexts the situation can be even more complex, as obstacles in the way of return and recovery can also include threats of violence against a returning family or group/s, secondary occupation of land and houses, among others.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Migration and the right to adequate housing 2010, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- In her report on her mission to the United States of America (A/HRC/13/20/Add.4), the Special Rapporteur observed that many migrant families were living in conditions of severe overcrowding, particularly in Los Angeles.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Migration and the right to adequate housing 2010, para. 60
- Paragraph text
- For example, between 15,000 and 20,000 Roma people are currently living in the Italian capital. Most of them have Romanian citizenship or originate from countries of former Yugoslavia - Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. In 2008, Roma families were victims of assaults and discrimination, including eviction from illegal settlements across Rome. These evictions were characterized by the indiscriminate destruction of their huts and lack of provision of alternative housing, which left hundreds of Roma, including women and children, without shelter.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Migration and the right to adequate housing 2010, para. 67
- Paragraph text
- The housing situation of children is directly connected to the status of their migrant parents. When parents, and especially migrant single mothers, have no access to employment, social benefits or other sources of livelihood in the host country, children may end up living in substandard conditions or being homeless alongside their parents. On many occasions, migrant women heads of families, sometimes in charge of several children, have had great difficulty in finding employment and caring for their children, finding reduced opportunities to provide adequate shelter and essential food.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Migration and the right to adequate housing 2010, para. 68
- Paragraph text
- When children do not have documents they face triple discrimination: as children, as migrants and as being undocumented, and thus they constitute one of the most vulnerable groups. Their right to adequate housing, as well as other economic, social and cultural rights, are often severely affected in those circumstances. Among undocumented children, a particularly difficult situation is that of unaccompanied migrant children, who, because their parents are unable to work or they have no parents to look after them, are forced into poverty and exclusion. Often living on the streets, in parks and in front of shops, these children are excluded from child protection services and are denied adequate housing. In certain countries, unaccompanied children are detained for living on the streets and are institutionalized in prison-like conditions or deported to countries where they have no family to care for them (see A/HRC/14/30, paras. 58 and 59).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Migration and the right to adequate housing 2010, para. 77
- Paragraph text
- In some cases, local governments have established programmes to assist low-income migrant families in paying their rents, obtaining a house or doing maintenance work on their residences and to give both documented and undocumented migrants access to social policies. As a result, migrant families have equal opportunities to enjoy adequate housing and living conditions. Since migrants often represent a significant proportion of the poor, non-restrictive policies addressed to the entire low-income population can have a real impact on the living conditions of migrants. In Spain, the municipalities of Salamanca and Valladolid provide financial assistance to low-income populations, including migrants, to rent their homes. Similarly, in Catalonia, the provincial immigration office, the Fundación Caixa Catalunya and a network of non-governmental organizations assist in the provision of housing for documented and undocumented migrants, as well as for asylum-seekers.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
The impact of housing finance policies on the right to adequate housing of those living in poverty 2012, para. 60
- Paragraph text
- Some community funds, such as Baan Mankong in Thailand and the Community Mortgage Programme in the Philippines, have demonstrated a great capacity to expand their coverage and to execute complex housing and infrastructure projects that involve national and local Governments, landowners and several communities. The Baan Mankong programme, introduced in 2003 by the Government of Thailand and implemented by an independent Government agency, the Community Organizations Development Institute, aimed to improve living conditions for 300,000 families by 2008. Its strategy for delivering low-income housing is to channel funds to community-based organizations that plan and carry out projects themselves. The programme became an exemplar for community-supported slum upgrading, although it has been implemented on a smaller scale than originally envisaged.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Reflection on work undertaken in first 14 years of the mandate; outline of opportunities and priorities 2014, para. 18
- Paragraph text
- The consequences of inadequate housing and homelessness are severe, with implications for almost every other human right, including the rights to health, education, protection of the family, social security, work and, in many cases, life. Malaria, cholera, dengue fever and many other diseases that continue to ravage the poor in tropical countries are closely linked to poor housing conditions, as are tuberculosis, pneumonia and many other illnesses affecting those who are homeless in northern climates. Yet, despite the severity of the consequences and the fundamental human rights that are involved, homelessness and inadequate housing are still often seen as the preserve of socioeconomic policy and as insulated from the kind of legal human rights accountability that is applied to government policies affecting other human rights. Even when housing is recognized as a human right, how it should be implemented is not always clear to States and other stakeholders.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Analysis of two alternative housing policies: rental and collective housing 2013, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- On the other hand, the cost of rent subsidies for low-income households is significantly lower than the cost of subsidies for homeownership. Moreover, for families with a very low and unstable income, rent subsidies can provide a better alternative than homeownership. Research done in Brazil, for instance, has shown that very low-income households tend to sell their private homes, in particular the very poorly located ones, and move back to informal settlements.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
The right to adequate housing in disaster relief efforts 2011, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- Concerns have also been expressed over what has been called "the business of reconstruction", whereby the planning, financing and implementation of reconstruction are outsourced to private companies. In some cases, outsourcing reconstruction without putting adequate safeguards in place has been associated with negative impacts on the adequacy and affordability of reconstruction as well as on people's ability to participate in and benefit from reconstruction efforts. In Chile, following the earthquake and subsequent tsunami of February 2010, the private sector reportedly played a central role in the reconstruction of urban centres and coastal areas. Following one of the main principles of the national reconstruction plan, families have the choice to decide whether to rebuild their homes on the same sites of the collapsed buildings or to acquire a previously existing or a newly built house. However, as housing reconstruction was supported mainly by subsidies attached to individual property, private constructors preferred to rebuild housing in new areas on the outskirts of towns, rather than the central areas from which many people had been displaced, where land and housing prices were much higher. Real estate companies were also said to pressure families to sell land and housing at very low prices in a moment where they were very vulnerable, in order to make way for private redevelopment. This shows that if left only to the market, new housing for the poorest will likely be in the peripheries.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph