Housing, Homelessness and Disability: the Commodification of a Core Human Right and Breach of This Right for People with Disability

Abstract

Objectives

Access to housing is a recognised human right across international conventions. Yet this right is rarely legislated for within individual countries. In parallel, housing has increasingly become a much sought-after commodity, one in which the accumulation of multiple properties or “homes” is a way of future-proofing for retirement. Large inequities exist across society in terms of who has a home, those who have multiple homes and those who are at risk of homelessness or are homeless. People with disability are particularly more likely to be (over-)represented in the latter group.

Methods

An environmental scan of contemporary policy, practise and developments on homelessness and disability in Australia sought to examine the current government response to structural and systematic issues which lead to homelessness and neglect for people with disability. A comparison between international practise and policy is made, with a particular focus on examples of effective rights-based interventions, where they exist.

Results

Ninety-six documents of varying types were included in the environmental scan.

Conclusions

People with disability are frequently excluded from current disability and homelessness policy. Policies can and should be amended to instigate structural change which incorporates them. Embedding the human right to housing within national legislation is one way to enforce structural change.