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Housing, homelessness and disability: The commodification of a core human right and breach of this right for people with disability
Author/s
Mary O’Donovan, Erin Louise Whittle
Abstract
Access to housing is a recognised human right across international conventions. Yet this right is rarely legislated for within individual countries. In parallel, housing has increasingly become a much sought-after commodity, one in which the accumulation of multiple properties or “homes” is a way of future-proofing for retirement. Large inequities exist across society in terms of who has a home, those who have multiple homes and those who are at risk of homelessness or are homeless. People with disability are particularly more likely to be (over-)represented in the latter group.
Ninety-six documents of varying types were included in the environmental scan.
People with disability are frequently excluded from current disability and homelessness policy. Policies can and should be amended to instigate structural change which incorporates them. Embedding the human right to housing within national legislation is one way to enforce structural change.