In the last 30 years, the commodification of housing has transformed our homes, lives, and the cities in which we live. From Lagos to LA, Manila to Berlin, the human rights of residents are taking second place to investment opportunities and corporate gain. At the same time, the global pandemic has thrown the global housing crisis into even greater relief, showing us the staggering number of people that our broken systems leave behind. As the number of people living in grossly inadequate housing and homelessness climbs, it’s become apparent that we need a global and unified response to respond to the housing crisis and reveal it for what it is, a human rights crisis affecting life, dignity and well-being. 

On 21 June, EDGE Funders hosted the webinar “A Necessary Shift: Build a Better World with the Right to Housing.” The webinar was a call to action for foundations and philanthropic organizations to start understanding that adopting a human rights approach to housing can be the key to transformational societal change. This goes beyond funding bricks and mortar. It requires long-term support to fund systemic change. The webinar called on funders to use one of their most powerful tools: the ability to convene and to have conversations. It’s not just about check-writing organizations, it’s so important to be seen as stakeholders in advancing some of the goals of this work, of seeing this to its fruition.

The Shift is mobilizing actors from four corners of the world, committed to changing the way we treat housing, from solely a commodity to a human right and social good. Founded by Leilani Farha, the former UN Special Rapporteur on the right to housing, The Shift is a global convening meant to connect and mobilize governments, legislators, human rights institutes, architects, urban planners, philanthropists, grassroots groups, and more toward the common goal of securing the human right to housing.

To that end, the webinar featured three speakers alongside Leilani, each highlighting why the human right to housing is cornerstone to their work. 

Ariadna Godreau Aubert is a human rights lawyer, founder of Ayuda Legal Puerto Rico, and the author of “Toward a Just Recovery,” a report outlining a strategy of legal support and advocacy in the wake of disasters in Puerto Rico. Ayuda Legal PR has championed legislation which would instate a moratorium on evictions during emergencies or natural disasters, thus limiting the number of households falling into homelessness and prevent predatory capital from acquiring distressed assets. 

 

Elizabeth McIssac is the president of the Maytree Foundation, a Canadian private foundation working to advance systemic solutions to the housing crisis through a human rights approach.  Maytree was instrumental in supporting Canada’s National Housing Strategy Act, which codified the human right to housing for the first time in the country’s history. 

 

 

Dr. Rory Hearne, is an Associate Professor of Social Policy at Maynooth University in Ireland, podcast host, and author of “Housing Shock: The Irish Housing Crisis and How to Solve It.” He is a leading voice in the fight for constitutional reform to embed the right to housing in Ireland. 

The webinar provided an overview on the biggest hurdles being faced in operationalizing the right to housing, discussed lessons learned throughout the panelist’s own endeavors, and the ways movements can work together to forge a successful path forward.

While The Shift has been greatly impactful in its first year of operation, the organization is still growing and needs support in achieving its aims. For more information on the work of The Shift and its partners, read their Case for Support and review their Work in Action. Both provide a more detailed view of the essential and transformative work they are doing across disciplines and around the world.  If you would like to support their vital work pursuing the human right to housing, please reach out to julieta@maketheshift.org.