Policies to Address Homelessness: Rights-Based Approaches

Abstract

Homeless, To be homeless: state of lacking adequate shelter; state of lacking a secure, adequate, affordable private space from which to conduct one's life. Note that definitions vary according to social and cultural context as well as national and international legal frameworks. Homelessness: Recognised social phenomenon of identifiable population lacking adequate housing; field for welfare policy intervention by state and non-state agencies in local, national, and international spheres. Justiciable right to housing: Right to housing which is enshrined in law and legally enforceable through the court system in a nation state by individuals or households lacking adequate accommodation. Social right to housing: Right to housing conveyed through a national constitution, a national welfare system, or an international treaty which acknowledges housing as a fundamental human right for those subject of such a constitution, welfare state, or international treaty, and where states seek to ensure housing as a human right but do not necessarily guarantee an individual right enforceable at law.