[JURIST] UN Special Rapporteur on the right to housing [official website] Leilani Farha warned [press release] on Friday that homelessness is India is a major problem. Farha called on the government of India to take immediate action to ensure adequate housing for the disadvantaged within the country. She stated, “I am extremely concerned for the millions of people who experience exclusion, discrimination, evictions, insecure tenure, homelessness and who lack hope of accessing affordable and adequate housing in their lifetimes.” She pointed out that most of the time evictions are carried out without any warning and that these atrocities affect the most vulnerable populations in India. Earlier in March, Farha warned that homelessness is increasing [press release] in every country due to government inaction. Presenting a report [text, PDF] to the UN Human Rights Council, Farha said that homelessness has become a global crisis because of government failure to respond to structural issues and legislation that allows for the displacement of individuals.

Homelessness remains a problem throughout the world. In August the US Department of Justice challenged [JURIST report] an Idaho city ordinance that criminalizes sleeping in public places by the homeless. In October Farha said that governments must commit [JURIST report] themselves to further action to improve housing conditions and urban development. Guest Columnist Azariah Jelks of Valparaiso University Law argued [JURIST op-ed] in December that affordable housing must become a reality because the current affordable housing initiatives are unable to assist every family or individual from being displaced and priced out of their neighborhoods.