What makes housing a human right?
Safe and reliable shelter is necessary to live a healthy life that’s within your control. The right to housing has been codified by global standards but is not protected by US federal law.
Without shelter, food, and water, you can’t move on to other needs like safety, employment, health, or love. These basic needs contribute to our stability as individuals and families. Like Aristole said, “family is the association established by nature for the supply of men's everyday wants.” The health of our society is directly linked to our personal health.
Individual rights are never just individual. Their presence or lack thereof affects us all—Black or white, rich or poor. Once people's basic needs are met, they create more bonds in their community. They become less inclined to engage in criminal activity. They contribute more to their families and a healthy society as a whole.
When everyone has access to housing, we all prosper.