Advancing Housing as a Human Right at the Local Level

"Simply Unacceptable" is the title of a new report issued by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty (NLCHP) which grades the U.S. in several categories regarding our response to homelessness and compliance--or lack thereof-- with the human right to housing. And yet our government refuses to give priority to housing as austerity budgets and further deregulation being pushed at the federal and state level are sure to...exacerbate the current housing crisis. But, housing activists are not settling for this dismal record and outlook and are demanding that our communities do more to ensure that everyone has access to housing. They are re-framing the debate to demand that housing be recognized as a human right with direct action and grassroots organizing to advance local policy. "Advancing Housing as a Human Right at the Local Level" will feature a panel of housing activists from Madison and Chicago, including Robert McGee of Operation Welcome Home, Kimayana Johnson of Take Back the Land-Madison, Anthony Prince of the Madison National Lawyers Guild, Stephanie Mingo an organizer with the New Orleans Workers Center for Racial Justice, and Joseph Peery formerly of the Chicago/Gary Union of the Homeless and currently active in public housing eviction defense work in Chicago. Heidi Wegleitner, a housing attorney and member of the Madison Affordable Housing Action Alliance, will provide a short presentation on the human right to housing, a local campaign to recognize housing as a human right in the City of Madison and Dane County, and then moderate the panel discussion.

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