U.S. Response to U.N. Human Rights Review Released

Government Supports Reducing Homelessness as Human Rights Obligation

Press Type: Press Release   Associated Program: Human Rights

Released: 03/2011

U.S. Response to U.N. Human Rights Review Released

Government Supports Reducing Homelessness as Human Rights Obligation

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Yesterday, the United States government filed its official response to the recommendations it received from the United Nations Human Rights Council as part of its first-ever comprehensive human rights review.

The response marks the first time that the Administration has acknowledged that homelessness in the U.S. implicates its human rights obligations.

The U.S. has been engaged in this Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process for more than a year. It began with a series of government consultations in a dozen cities across the country, throughout which housing was the number one human rights issue raised, according to government sources. This comes as no surprise, as recent studies show a dramatic rise in homelessness - especially family homelessness - in the wake of the recession.

"We're especially pleased that the Administration supports the Council's recommendations to take steps both to 'reinforce' safeguards to protect the rights of homeless Americans and to reduce homelessness as part of our human rights obligations," said Maria Foscarinis, executive director of the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty.

Foscarinis also noted that the Administration's response showed support for recommendations to improve social protection coverage, to ensure the rights to food and health for all, and to commit to "[c]ontinue its efforts in the domain of access to housing, vital for the realization of several other rights, in order to meet the needs for adequate housing at an affordable price for all segments of American society."

But, she emphasized, "the real issue now is whether the Administration will made good on these statements and take action to help the millions of Americans now suffering as a result of the foreclosure and economic crises sweeping our country."

The government submitted its initial UPR report to the Human Rights Council in April 2010, and then was reviewed by the Council in November. At the review, it received 228 recommendations, including recommendations to "take further measures in the area of economic and social rights and reducing the number of homeless people," and to "reinforce the broad range of safeguards in favor of & homeless [people] to allow them the full enjoyment of their rights and dignity." The government's response, which will be officially presented to the Council at its upcoming session on March 18, indicated they supported those recommendations.

"Three-quarters of Americans agree that housing is a basic human right, and the Obama Administration says it supports the reduction of homelessness as a human rights obligation," said Eric Tars, Human Rights Program Director at the Law Center. "So let's put those words into action. We strongly urge the Administration to tell Congress to stop cutting billions of dollars of housing assistance from the budget. That would defeat the very purpose of the recommendations they say they support."

Every country in the world is reviewed under the UPR every four years, meaning the U.S. will receive its next review in 2014. "We hope the Administration will take the same stand at home as it has at the U.N., and protect the basic human right to housing for all Americans," concluded Foscarinis, who will be testifying at a Congressional briefing on March 31 on the UPR process. "We don't want to have to report back four years from now and say we failed."

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