3 ms·

>Housing is a human right If housing is a human right, who is responsible for protecting this right? If I decide to sit on a couch all day and not get a job, d

by x220 9y ago

>Housing is a human right If housing is a human right, who is responsible for protecting this right? If I decide to sit on a couch all day and not get a job, does a private property owner or the government still have to provide housing for me? If I become homeless, who or what entity is depriving me of the right to housing? If I am entitled to housing, am I entitled to housing anywhere I want or in any city I want? >it fetches more money for real estate developers to build luxury apartments instead of affordable housing Perhaps this is a signal that it's more economically productive for the rich to live in cities than for the poor to live in cities.

mschuster91 9y ago
Little upfront disclosure: I'm what many people would consider a left-wing extremist. > If I decide to sit on a couch all day and not get a job, does a private property owner or the government still have to provide housing for me? In Germany (and other civilized countries), the government actually has to do so. > If I become homeless, who or what entity is depriving me of the right to housing? The government must provide you with adequate housing by law (again, in Germany). That it often fails to do so without consequences is the sad reality. > If I am entitled to housing, am I entitled to housing anywhere I want or in any city I want? In Germany, housing is the responsibility of the city where you live in (which includes sometimes paying motels to house people). I'm a bit unsure about the details on what happens when you relocate, though, and the core problem is many of the homeless do not really trust authority or do not like that many of the help-homelessnes-programs enforce crap like no-alcohol policies - thankfully there are first programs under evaluation which follow the policy "housing first, remainder second". > Perhaps this is a signal that it's more economically productive for the rich to live in cities than for the poor to live in cities. F..k this mindset. Or wait, just let it happen and let the rich rot away in a city where no one else lives and they can't buy anything, eat anything or where there are no cops, firefighters or schools because the staff cannot find any place to live (hint, in some areas of Germany this already is a problem, and I remember having seen some reports on HN that this is also valid for the US and London). Cities are there for the entire population, not just rich foreign investor .... wanting to make a quick buck.

by x220 9y ago

mschuster91 9y ago

Little upfront disclosure: I'm what many people would consider a left-wing extremist. > If I decide to sit on a couch all day and not get a job, does a private property owner or the government still have to provide housing for me? In Germany (and other civilized countries), the government actually has to do so. > If I become homeless, who or what entity is depriving me of the right to housing? The government must provide you with adequate housing by law (again, in Germany). That it often fails to do so without consequences is the sad reality. > If I am entitled to housing, am I entitled to housing anywhere I want or in any city I want? In Germany, housing is the responsibility of the city where you live in (which includes sometimes paying motels to house people). I'm a bit unsure about the details on what happens when you relocate, though, and the core problem is many of the homeless do not really trust authority or do not like that many of the help-homelessnes-programs enforce crap like no-alcohol policies - thankfully there are first programs under evaluation which follow the policy "housing first, remainder second". > Perhaps this is a signal that it's more economically productive for the rich to live in cities than for the poor to live in cities. F..k this mindset. Or wait, just let it happen and let the rich rot away in a city where no one else lives and they can't buy anything, eat anything or where there are no cops, firefighters or schools because the staff cannot find any place to live (hint, in some areas of Germany this already is a problem, and I remember having seen some reports on HN that this is also valid for the US and London). Cities are there for the entire population, not just rich foreign investor .... wanting to make a quick buck.