Right to Housing: Case for Universal Legally Enforceable Right

Predrag Raosavljevic

College of Law, American University Washington DC, United States

Abstract: Homeless is most striking and most visible in societies in which there is large disparity between general wealth of nation and poor or inadequate living conditions of its citizens. For example, there are more than five times as many vacant homes in the U.S. as there are homeless people, according to Amnesty International USA. Many homeless people live in large, urban centers and this problem is especially visible there since most of the wealth is also located in large metropolitan areas. It is no coincidence, therefore, that the most serious attempts to end homelessness originated in big cities. Basic idea behind these efforts is that providing place to live for homeless people would enable them to focus on improving other parts of their lives. For example, in 1992 psychologist Dr. Sam Tsemberis founded Pathways to Housing in New York City, while students in Los Angeles are building tiny houses for people experiencing homelessness. In Washington DC, local bar association operates Landlord Tenant Resource Center that offers free legal aid to those facing eviction. There is also constant pressure on mayors to “do something” about homeless on the streets, with or without help of state or federal authorities. Housing or lack of it is a complex issue and represents a challenge not only from legal standpoint but from other perspectives such as economic, urban and land development, taxing, banking or environmental.

Key words: homelessness, right to housing, urban development