United States of America

A Year Later, the Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing Attends a Follow Up Event of the US Mission

On October 25th, in New York, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing, Raquel Rolnik, attended a Follow Up Event of the Mission that she has done to US in 2009. The event was organized by the Campaign
Restore National Housing Rights and had the presence of representatives from grassroots organizations from all the country.

Newsletter # 4

 

Early this month, the Seminar “Mega-events: Urban Impacts and Human Rights Violations” was promoted by the mandate of the Special Rapporteur in São Paulo. Representatives of civil society organizations of the World Cup 2014 future host cities in Brazil as well as researchers from Greece, South Africa and the United Kingdom were present. A filme specially released for the event by Miloon Kothari (former Rapporteur until 2008) and Shivani Chaudhry – both from the Housing and Land Rights Network – on the Commonwealth Games 2010 in New Delhi, India, was also screened. A workshop was held at the end of the event with representatives of organizations and social movements of World Cup 2014 host cities. We formed a network to monitor, mobilize and promote a human rights agenda in the context of the World Cup and Olympic Games in Brazil.

Opposition to PETRA’s Mortgage Financing: Read the Letter from US Civil Society

Read the letter written by organizations of the civil society, academics and citzens of US about PETRA (Preservation, Enhancement and Transition of Rental Assistance Act), a new national housing policy. It is directed to the Housing and Urban Depelopment Secretary, Shaun Donovan. The UN Special Rapportteur on the Right to Adequate Housing signs the document. Secretary Shaun Donovan.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
451 7th Street S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20410

Dear Secretary Donovan,

As local and national organizations working to protect the human right to housing in the United States, we write to express our ongoing and grave concerns regarding the current state of PETRA. At a time when public housing residents are in desperate need of stability and increased public resources, aspects of PETRA threaten the sustainability of these communities.

While we commend your agencys response to the long-standing need to streamline rental assistance programs, we remain concerned that elements of PETRA will set into motion a process of public housing privatization. In particular, project-basing our public housing provides no guarantee that these deeply affordable housing units will remain permanent assets to our communities.

Homeowners

“It’s like I’m a doctor,” said Mr. Laubinger, an agent here for big lenders. “People ask me how much time they have left.”

Hardly any. Legally, they have already lost ownership. If they do not respond to the carrot the lenders offer — as much as $5,000 in cash in exchange for leaving the house in good order — he employs the stick: the county sheriff, who evicts them.

Reports 2010

Thematic reports: Mega-events, Migrants

Mission reports: United States, Maldives

Comunications report

Communications Report (2010)

This report has the summary of communications sent and replies received from following Governments and other actors: Bangladesh, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cameroun, China, Colombia, Congo, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Kenya Korea (Republic of), Mexico, Nigeria, Panama, Papua  New Guinea, Philippines, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Serbia,  South Africa,  Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Turkmenistan, Uganda,  […]

United States of America

Special Rapporteur Raquel Rolnik conducted a mission to the United States from October 22 to November 8, 2009 and held meetings with several government representatives and civil society organizations. She visited the cities of Washington DC, New York, Chicago, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Pacoima and the indigenous reservation of Pine Ridge in South Dakota. The […]

PRESS RELEASE – Millions lack access to affordable and adequate housing in the U.S.

WASHINGTON D.C. (8 November 2009) – The UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, Raquel Rolnik, warned at the end of her official visit to the United States of America that, “Millions of people in the U.S. are spending high percentages of their income to make their monthly rent and mortgage payment, face foreclosure or eviction, and live in overcrowded and substandard conditions.”

Photos Mission to the United States (October/November 2009)

Photos of the mission to the United States held between October 22th and November 08th, 2009. To access our flickr to see all photos of the mission, click here. To get more information about this country, click here to access this page on our site.  

PRESS RELEASE – UN housing expert makes first visit to the US

20 October 2009 – GENEVA — The Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Ms. Raquel Rolnik, will visit the United States of America from 22 October to 8 November 2009 at the invitation of the Government.