There's No Place Like Home: Humanity and the Housing Crisis
Dec 16, 2024
auto_awesome
Leilani Farha, Global Director of The Shift and former UN Special Rapporteur on the right to housing, passionately explores the profound relationship between humanity and housing. She discusses how homes have become mere commodities, stripping them of emotional significance. The conversation highlights the impact of neoliberalism on housing affordability, the dehumanization wrought by financialization, and the pressing need to recognize housing as a fundamental human right. Farha’s insights urge listeners to reevaluate the true essence of home and advocate for a more humane approach to housing.
Commodification of housing reduces homes to mere assets, prioritizing profit over human needs and disrupting community stability.
Recognizing housing as a fundamental human right can help reshape policies to restore dignity and secure affordable living for all.
Deep dives
The Human Essence of Home
Homes represent more than just physical structures; they encapsulate memories, aspirations, and emotional connections. Each corner of a home holds significance, from joyous moments shared to difficult times endured. The concept of home extends to both past and future, presenting questions about identity and belonging as people contemplate their lives within these spaces. Despite these personal connections, the commodification of housing strips homes of their humanity, reducing them to mere assets in a financial game without accountability.
Impact of Financialization on Housing
The financialization of housing has transformed homes into commodities, creating a global market driven by profit rather than human needs. Housing is increasingly managed by powerful financial entities that prioritize returns over tenant well-being, leading to increased rents and displacement. This movement highlights the shift from viewing housing as a basic human right to treating it as an investment vehicle, undermining the foundations of community and security. As a result, people find themselves in precarious living situations, fighting for basic shelter while corporate interests dictate their housing conditions.
Consequences of Displacement
Displacement and housing instability can have profound emotional and psychological effects on individuals and families. Vulnerable populations, such as low-income families and marginalized communities, face not only physical loss of shelter but also a breakdown of social connections and familial bonds. The experience of homelessness can result in feelings of humiliation and despair, as illustrated by personal stories shared during the discussion. These traumatic experiences contribute to a cycle of poverty and instability, further entrenching systemic inequalities in access to safe and secure housing.
The Role of Human Rights in Housing
Recognizing housing as a fundamental human right offers a framework for addressing the current housing crisis and re-establishing dignity for those affected by housing insecurity. Human rights laws provide necessary standards and accountability mechanisms that ensure everyone has access to affordable and secure housing. By placing people at the center of housing policies, governments can reverse the trend of commodification and work towards rebuilding community resilience. Emphasizing human rights not only transforms policies but also encourages a cultural shift in how society understands and values the concept of home.
Our homes hold our memories and hopes for the future. But today, our homes have become commodities. Leilani Farha, the former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Housing, considers what happens when humanity is stripped out of housing — and what it means for us to collectively ‘return home.’ *This episode is part of our IDEAS at Crow’s Theatre series.
Get the Snipd podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share & Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode