Housing is a basic human right. The UN According to the UN every person has a basic right to have a to a decent standard of living. (Human Rights Education Association, 2013). Homes are the staging ground for the rest of life. In order to grow and have the resources necessary to pursue one’s calling basic living is a must. Currently, both in the US and abroad there is not enough housing for the world’s poor. They are forced to live in subpar conditions, government and non-government organization need to do more and work better to fulfill this basic human need that is currently being unmet.
According to The Human Rights Education Association, “Housing fulfills physical needs by providing security It fulfills psychological needs by providing a sense of personal space and privacy” (Human Rights Education Association, 2013).
When there is a shortage of something, it is the poor who pay. Be it iPhones or home, those with the adequate means will always procure their needs and fulfill their desires. According to the most recent census, there are 41 million people in the US who rent homes, that makes up 35 percent of the country living in homes they don’t own. (Badger, 2012).
Emile badger in her article “The U.S. Simply Doesn’t Have Enough Available Rental Housing, Whether You’re Rich or Poor,” she estimates that the number of renters is only going to increase. Researchers studying the issue predict that over the next decade 3 million new rental units will need to be built to satisfy a growing demand for housing (Badger, 2012).
More than a housing problem though, the US has a poverty issue that sometimes goes unnoticed and is affected by the shortage of housing for the poor. The government is certainly not doing nothing and it does have programs in place to address the housing needs of millions of poor people throughout the country. Government unemployment benefits do a lot in giving people enough to be able to pay their rent and stay in homes. According to CNN, in 2011 these benefits helped 2.3 million people stay out of poverty. (Luhyby, 2011). However, the last census showed that 46.2 million people were below the poverty line. In 2011 this number was earning less than $23,021 for a family of four. The government programs also point to the problem, much of it economic. Luhby points out in her article that there are two problems, both a lack of physical housing structures, and a poverty problem that prevents from the poor from procuring adequate living. (2011).
These same government assistance programs have record high loads of people seeking those benefits. Food stamps were also at record highs with 46.7 million Americans receiving them June, 2011. Unfortunately, it does not seem that things are correcting themselves or moving in that directions. There are political pressures from Republicans right now to reduce the expenditures on these programs. Their reasoning is that then they could be applied to another problem, the economic problem and national debt.
Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights reads:
"Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control." (Article 25(1))
Rent is also rising, and incomes for the working class have remained quite stagnant.
(Badger, 2013).
The Atlantic’s estimate was that at the lower income levels there were only 3.7 million units available at prices affordable for the 10.3 million households living in extreme poverty. Emily badger concludes that “this means that the poorer you are in America, the more you’re disproportionately funneling your income into the roof over your head” (Badger, 2013).
The federal government classifies that households spending over 30 percent of their income on rent are classified as having a "moderate housing burden." But for those who are using than half of their income on housing have a "severe" burden. (Badger, 2013).
The problem does have solutions outside the political process. With the world economy sagging, those at the bottom end of society are getting the shorter end of the stick since they had less to lose to begin with and do not have the same safety nets as the wealthy. Even if the government does not expand funding to assistant programs, if the economy on it’s own turns itself around, something that historically has always happened, then there will be less people without the means to supply themselves with adequate housing.
Our government is based on principles of freedom, and the resources necessary for that freedom to not be inhibited. Houses, the homes we inhabit, should not be left up to the winds of economic tides. The government should have a system in place that prevents people from losing their houses and becoming homeless or sliding further into poverty.
Reference:
Improving the Quality of Housing. (n.d.).Community Toolbox - Bringing Solutions to Light. Retrieved September 13, 2013, from http://ctb.ku.edu/en/tablecontents/chapter26_section2_main.aspx
Luhby, T. (n.d.). Government assistance keeps millions out of poverty - Sep. 13, 2012 . CNNMoney - Business, financial and personal finance news. Retrieved September 13, 2013, from http://money.cnn.com/2012/09/13/news/economy/poverty-government-assistance/index.html
Right to housing. (n.d.). HREA - The Global Human Rights Education Network. Retrieved September 13, 2013, from http://www.hrea.org/index.php?doc_id=411
The U.S. Simply Doesn't Have Enough Available Rental Housing, Whether You're Rich or Poor - Emily Badger - The Atlantic Cities. (n.d.). The Atlantic Cities. Retrieved September 13, 2013, from http://www.theatlanticcities.com/housing/2013/02/us-simply-doesnt-have-enough-available-rental-housing-whether-youre-rich-or-poor/4791/
