UN Releases Report on Housing Rights Violations in the U.S.

The United Nations has released the final report of the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing’s U.S. mission , making both broad and specific findings and recommendations about housing rights violations in the U.S.

The UN Special Rapporteur, Raquel Rolnik, visited six cities in the U.S. from October 23-November 8, 2009 in her mission, co-coordinated by National Law Center on Homeless Rights and Poverty, the National Economic & Social Rights Initiative, and local partners including
New York, NY – Rob Robinson, Picture the Homeless
Wilkes Barre, PA – Frank Sindaco, Northeast Pennsylvania Organizing Center
Chicago, IL - JR Fleming, Coalition to Protect Public Housing
New Orleans, LA – Sam Jackson, Mayday New Orleans
Pine Ridge, SD – Bill Means, Oglala Tribal Community
Los Angeles, CA – Becky Dennison, Los Angeles Community Action Network
Washington, DC – Debra Frazier, Family and Friends of Arthur Capers and Carrollsburg and Eric Sheptock

After an extremely participatory visit , many of the concerns homeless and low-income communities across the country expressed to her are included in the report.

The Rapporteur’s report recommends, among other things:
Increasing resources for public and affordable housing;
The Protecting Tenants At Foreclosure Act should be extended beyond its 2012 sunset;
Vacant properties should be made available to housing organizations for the provision of affordable housing;
Constructive alternatives to the criminalization of homelessness should be developed, and where adequate shelter is not available, homeless persons should be allowed to shelter themselves in public areas;
The HUD definition of homelessness should be expanded to include those living doubled up with others due to economic hardship.

Congress should pass H.Res. 582 and devote increased resources to the Family Unification Voucher Program.

The Rapporteur will present her report to the UN Human Rights Council on March 5th in Geneva, Switzerland.

Next steps for advocates should include 1) publicizing the report, 2) demanding and action plan from legislators and HUD for implementing the report’s recommendations, and 3) using the report recommendations and findings in local advocacy.