Last week, team members from the National Right to Housing Network, Misha Khan and Michèle Biss, had the privilege of presenting at the International Journal on Homelessness Conference in Santiago, Chile. It was an inspiring space filled with learning, connection, and reflection, all centered on the urgent issue of homelessness and the critical need for human rights-based solutions.
Right to Housing Lessons Learned from Partners in Other Countries
We attended sessions held by colleagues across the globe, and here are some of the high-level learnings we took home:
- Despite the deep political uncertainty Canada is faced with due to the upcoming federal election, everything that’s going on in the States, and the gravity of our growing homelessness crisis—Canada has made progress in many positive ways including: the way we gather data on homelessness and, certainly, in the way we create avenues to exercise the human right to housing.
- Advocates in both the global south and north are using the courts to advance the right to housing for people experiencing homelessness, and while these efforts take a long time, we heard from colleagues in Brazil and India that the positive changes that legal challenges compel can be enormous.
- Colleagues in Mongolia are celebrating the wins of its government finally recognizing homelessness as an issue of urgent concern.
- There are some inspiring frontline workers (especially in Canada!) who are using their local knowledge and capacity to identify systemic barriers on the group – to advocate for systemic right to housing change.
- Support for migrants in securing housing is a growing issue faced by frontline workers across the world, but populist pushes based in xenophobia are increasing barriers to effectively do this human rights work.
- First voice advocates (also known as lived experts on homelessness or “City Makers” in the context of India) are organizing in communities around the world to urge policy makers to use a ‘nothing about us, without us” rights-based approach…and so much more.
At our presentation, we had the opportunity to dive deep into the concept of the Right to Housing and explore its significance, particularly in the context of Canada.
Here’s a recap of what we discussed and the key takeaways:
What is the Right to Housing and Where Does it Come From?
The Right to Housing is more than a rallying cry — it is based on a concrete set of legal norms that are rooted in international human rights law. This right is enshrined in multiple international treaties, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), and includes seven key elements of:
- Legal security of tenure
- Availability of services and materials
- Affordability
- Habitability
- Accessibility
- Location
- Cultural adequacy
That’s not all that the right to housing includes. The right to housing is also about access to justice and legal protections, tax measures, planning, and regulation of investors. Canada ratified the ICESCR in 1976, which holds these commitments, along with many other countries around the world.
Our presentation slides can be downloaded here.
The Sustainable Development Goals vs. International Human Rights Law: Key Differences
Human rights and the Sustainable Development Goals are deeply interdependent. In fact, as the UN Sustainable Development group notes, “[t]he 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development sets out a vision for sustainable development grounded in international human rights standards, putting equality and non-discrimination at the centre of its efforts and encompassing not only economic and social rights but also civil, political, and cultural rights, and the right to development.”
While the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are voluntary commitments by countries, international human rights carry more legal weight, with treaty bodies monitoring countries’ progress every 5 years (though in reality often reviews are 10 years apart).
Understanding the Right to Housing: Implications for Canada
Canada passed the National Housing Strategy Act in 2019, creating the roles of the Federal Housing Advocate, National Housing Council and Review Panel. These mechanisms mirror international human rights authorities and pave the way to bring forward systemic claims for violations of the right to housing.
The Role and Work of the National Right to Housing Network
The National Right to Housing Network (NRHN) launched in 2020 and serves as the connective tissue of the right to housing movement. The network serves two key goals:
- To advise and strengthen Canada’s infrastructure for the implementation and growth of the country’s commitment to housing as a fundamental human right.
- To build community-based infrastructure and culture that supports the meaningful implementation of the Right to Housing across the country.
Currently, NRHN holds 2,000 individual and organizational partners who are committed to advancing the Right to Housing in Canada.
Lessons Learned: Canada’s Progress with its Legislated Right to Housing Commitment
The mechanisms established under the National Housing Strategy Act (NHSA)—including the Office of the Federal Housing Advocate, the National Housing Council, and Review Panels—hold tremendous potential to drive systemic change. However, as with any tool, their effectiveness depends on how they’re used and leveraged.
These mechanisms are rooted in justice, and as a result, we have seen deeply marginalized people engaging with government in meaningful dialogue. This has led to important shifts in federal housing policy, especially on issues that previously had not received the necessary attention, such as encampments and the financialization of housing.
One of the most significant examples of this is the Advocate-led review on encampments. This review, the first conducted under the NHSA, brought urgent attention to the systemic failures that push people into encampments. The Advocate’s final report called for a National Encampments Response Plan and emphasized the need for governments to uphold the dignity and security of encampment residents while rapidly providing adequate, permanent housing solutions.
In response to this review, we cohosted a panel with the Federal Housing Advocate, alongside lived experts and grassroots organizers, to amplify the findings and foster a broader understanding of rights-based responses to encampments. We also developed and shared an Advocacy Toolkit, available on our website, to equip communities with the resources they need to push for a rights-based approach by engaging the media and advocating with all levels of government.
These efforts contributed directly to the creation of the $250 million Encampment Response Fund, a major step forward in addressing the immediate needs of encampment residents.
Further, the first-ever review panel on the financialization of purpose-built rental housing examined how the commodification of housing is driving up costs and displacing renters. Recommendations from this panel directly influenced the development of the Renter Bill of Rights and the Tenant Protection Fund, providing essential protections for renters.
Lessons Learned and How We’ve Responded
Through these experiences, we’ve learned some critical lessons about the accessibility and effectiveness of these mechanisms:
- Accessibility: When we talk about accessibility, it’s not just about opening the door—it’s about ensuring people can walk through it. Many rights claimants feel excluded by the complexity of standard consultation processes, including technical language, formal structures, and a lack of clarity. To address this, we’ve focused on breaking down these barriers by developing plain-language resources, creating supportive spaces for people to share their insights, and providing tools to help individuals engage meaningfully—whether through speaking notes or partnership support for submissions. These resources are housed on our Review Panel landing page on our website.
- Public Education: A significant barrier to participation in the review panel process has been the lack of public awareness about the mechanisms available for engaging in housing rights processes. Many people don’t know about the review panels or how they can participate, and there was no government funding to support civil society organizations in helping rights claimants navigate these processes. To address this, we’ve developed a Review Panel landing page, which serves as a resource hub for understanding and engaging in these processes. It includes summaries of oral hearings, written submissions from across the country, and plain-language tools that we’ve developed based on community needs.
- Trust-building through Transparency and Action: Trust is built through action. Rights claimants often approach these processes with skepticism, unsure if their input will lead to meaningful change. Transparency and follow-through are essential to overcoming this skepticism. When people see their voices reflected in decisions—such as in the creation of the Encampment Response Fund or the Tenant Protection Fund—it validates their role and strengthens confidence in the process. Transparency also means continuing the conversation long after the formal process ends. We’re working closely with partners and participants to ensure that the insights from the review panel process continue to guide our collective advocacy strategy, especially as we advocate for the implementation of key recommendations in the face of shifting political landscapes.
Charting the Future of Housing Rights in Canada
Looking forward, we know that the legacy of the NHSA will be put to the test with potential changes in our federal government. Participants in the session recommended that we continue to focus on building solidarity across the housing justice movement, public awareness on what the right to housing means in practice and move forward boldly in our advocacy for rights holders.
It was truly an honor to present at the IJOH conference and reflect on these vital issues. The work is tough, but spaces like this are a powerful reminder of the importance of persistence. To view the slides from our presentation, you can find them here!
Links to Resources Mentioned:
Encampments in Canada Landing Page
Federal Housing Advocate-Led Review – Final Report on Encampments
Financialization of Housing Landing Page