U.N. Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing to Hear Testimony from US Women

NLCHP Works with United Nations Special Rapporteur to Address Women's Rights to Housing

Press Type: Press Release   Associated Program: Human Rights

Released: 10/2005

WASHINGTON, October 17, 2005 - The Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing of the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights, Miloon Kothari, will visit Washington, DC, for a special consultation on the effects of violence, displacement, discrimination and other factors on women's housing. Women will give testimony and participate in training coordinated by the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty and a coordinating committee of other advocates in the U.S. and Canada.

The consultation will highlight the removal of children from their parents because of inadequate housing, dangers faced by homeless women living on the street, and the relationship between domestic violence and women's homelessness, among other topics.

NLCHP Executive Director Maria Foscarinis notes, "This consultation is so important in making the first steps towards recognizing that women face multiple problems when overcoming homelessness. The attention that the UN Rapporteur brings will highlight the dangers of inadequate housing faced by homeless women across the country."

Women from the US and Canada will draw on their personal experiences in a day of training and will provide oral testimony about violations of their housing rights. They will have an opportunity to present their own perspectives and solutions to the U.N. Special Rapporteur, to each other, and to an international community of advocates.

NLCHP Staff Attorney Naomi Stern notes: "The consultation illustrates how important it is to view homelessness as a systemic problem. The lack of safe and affordable housing affects a wide range of women in North America. A major issue that the stories of so many of the women show is the link between domestic violence and women's homelessness. If we really want to end homelessness for women, we have to face all the obstacles that they encounter on the road to obtaining and maintaining adequate housing."

The three-day event, including a day of training and two days of testimony, will culminate in a public address by the Special Rapporteur and a press conference on Monday, October 17, at 1:30 - 5:00 pm at the George Washington University Law School, 2000 H Street, NW, Washington, DC, Jacob Burns Moot Court Room, Lerner 101.

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