The debt ceiling proposal underlines why housing should be a human right

Last month, the U.S. House passed legislation that would drastically cut spending on social programs, using the debt ceiling as a pretext. While the bill has no chance of becoming law, its harmful proposals must not only be opposed — they must be countered with a positive vision that speaks to what is most needed at this moment.  

The House proposal is short on specifics, but it includes provisions that would reduce support that helps homeless people afford housing. It’s exactly the opposite of what is urgently needed.  

Right now, skyrocketing housing costs are putting increasing pressure on lower- and even middle-income Americans to choose between keeping a roof over their heads and meeting other basic needs: food, health care, transportation to work and school. The most vulnerable are being squeezed out completely, and encampments of unsheltered homeless people are proliferating across the country.   

Currently, only one in four of those poor enough to qualify for low-income housing assistance receive it. The rest wait for assistance, sometimes for years, often falling into homelessness in the meantime.

Funding levels are not keeping up with the need — they must be increased, not cut or kept constant. Without significantly greater investments in federal low-income housing programs, homelessness will only continue to grow.  

First put in place at the urging of then-President Franklin Roosevelt after the Great Depression forced millions of Americans out of their homes and into the streets, the programs as designed were deeply flawed, effectively excluding Black, Indigenous and other people of color from many aspects. Still, they ensured housing for millions. FDR laid out a vision to ensure rights, including housing, for all. 

But this vision was never enshrined in law. When President Reagan came into office in 1981, he made massive cuts to the social safety net — including devastating blows to housing — triggering the growth of modern homelessness. In 1979, the federal government funded 347,600 new units of low-income housing; by 1983, that number was 2,630. 

The House bill would repeat this catastrophic history at a time when the crisis of homelessness is worse than ever — leading to an even greater humanitarian disaster.  

Fighting these proposals is essential — but is not enough. In a wealthy country like ours, no one should have to go without the basics all human beings need to survive and thrive. In addition to fighting cuts, we must also fight for recognition of the human right to housing. 

It’s an idea that’s starting to gain traction.  

During the run-up to the 2020 presidential election, four Democratic candidates endorsed treating housing as a human right, including now-Vice President Harris. Coming into office, President Biden’s administration affirmed that “housing should be a right, not a privilege” and proposed policies to expand housing vouchers so that all who are eligible can receive them. Though badly needed, they have yet to be enacted. 

At the state level, activists in California are pushing for an amendment to the state’s constitution to enshrine the right to housing. At the end of April, the proposal moved forward in the legislature. If enacted, it would require the state to prioritize funding and policies to ensure that all Californians have adequate housing. This means housing that is permanent, affordable, safe, healthy and accessible to resources like grocery stores, jobs and schools. It would require equitable implementation, without discrimination.  

In a 2020 poll, 66 percent of Californians supported such an amendment to the state constitution. Nationally, 85 percent of Americans across the political spectrum believe that ensuring everyone has a safe, decent, affordable place to live should be a “top national priority.”  

Establishing the right in the U.S. is not only essential but also possible. Twenty years ago last month, the National Homelessness Law Center and the Center for Housing Rights and Evictions, then an international housing rights organization, brought together activists working to end homelessness in communities across the country to strategize about pushing for the human right to housing in the U.S.  

At the time, this idea was dismissed in most policy circles. But it resonated with activists working in communities devastated by the growing lack of affordable housing — including people who were directly affected by homelessness. Now, after years of advocacy and visibly growing and urgent need, the idea is getting traction.  

Other developed nations recognize the right to housing. Finland has largely ended homelessness through a set of multifaceted policies with a constitutional right to housing at their center. Most critical is the recognition that safe, adequate housing is an essential foundation for work, school and civic participation. There is also extensive research showing that housing not only ends homelessness but also saves money.  

The proposed cuts would not only worsen the crisis on our streets, threatening the lives of those forced to live there, they will also undermine our democracy and commitment to a fair society. Defeating them is critically important. But it is not enough.  

We must also redouble our fight for what is really needed: a safe, decent place to live for all human beings. We must keep fighting for the human right to housing.

Maria Foscarinis, a lawyer, is founder of the National Homelessness Law Center and lecturer in law at Columbia Law School.