Housing
Relevant sources: ICESCR Art. 11; CEDAW Art. 14(2)(h); CRC Art. 27(3); CRPD Art. 28(1), (2)(d); ICERD Art. 5(e)(iii); ICRMW Art. 43(1)(d), (3); UDHR Art. 25
Core elements of the guarantee during the COVID-19 pandemic include:
- Prohibit and protect against evictions, including by “ensur[ing] that everyone is protected against eviction” (UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context)
- Protect residents of informal settlements through “prohibition of any emergency processes, such as ‘de-densification,’ that involves the removal of large numbers of people from informal settlements/encampments” (UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing)
- Protect those living in homelessness by “[i]mmediately provid[ing] accommodation . . . with a view to transitioning them to permanent housing” (UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing)
- Protect renters and mortgage payers, such as by “provid[ing] rent and mortgage forgiveness for particularly vulnerable households” (UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing )
- Protect housing from financialization (UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing)
Further guidance can be found here: UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing; Open Society Foundations: Model Emergency Housing Legislation, Protecting the Right to Housing during the COVID-19 Crisis
Structural and Systemic Change through COVID-19 Human Rights Measures
The “Structural and Systemic Change through COVID-19 Human Rights Measures” Briefing Paper highlights measures that explicitly aim to create structural and systemic change, including by emphasis on the concept of doing things differently than previously. In putting into place such measures, States have sought to demonstrate a commitment to transformative, structural, and long-term change.
Show me all types of advances during COVID-19
| Measure | Country |
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| State of New Hampshire Emergency Energy Assistance Programs | United States |
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Through the “State of New Hampshire Emergency Energy Assistance Programs,” funding of 35 million USD was made available “for emergency energy assistance for New Hampshire residents . . . to… |
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| Royal Degree – Law 11/2020, of March 31 which Adopts Urgent Complementary Measures in the Social and Economic Field to Confront COVID-19 (Real Decreto-ley 11/2020, de 31 de marzo, por el que se adoptan medidas urgentes complementarias en el ámbito social y económico para hacer frente al COVID-19) | Spain |
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Noting that the COVID-19 health crisis “is having a direct impact on the economy and on society” and that in such “exceptional circumstances . . . the political economy should… |
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| Bill 204, Helping Tenants and Small Businesses Act, 2020 | Canada |
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Provisions of this measure enacted in Ontario include “temporary protections for certain commercial tenants,” “a residential rent freeze,” and the non-effectiveness of “[e]viction orders for rent arrears . . …. |
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| Disaster Management Act Regulations: Alert Level 1 During Coronavirus COVID-19 Lockdown: Eviction and Demolition of Places of Residence | South Africa |
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According to the “Disaster Management Act Regulations,” “[a] person may not be evicted from his or her land or home or have his or her place of residence demolished for… |
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| Public Emergency Decree 766/2020 (Emergencia Pública Decreto 766/2020) | Argentina |
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Public Emergency Decree 766/2020 contains provisions on “suspension of evictions” and “freezing of rental prices.” This decree followed Emergency Decree 320/2020 issued on March 29, 2020, which similarly contained such… |
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| New Hampshire Emergency Rental Assistance Program | United States |
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The state of New Hampshire put into place a range of programs including: the “Emergency Rental Assistance Program” to provide “assistance to eligible residents of New Hampshire who cannot pay… |
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| British Columbia Temporary Rental Supplement Program | Canada |
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The BC [British Columbia] Temporary Rental Supplement Program “gave tenants and landlords temporary support towards rent payments from April to August of 2020 for low- and moderate-income renters who lost… |
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| Government of NCT of Delhi, Delhi Disaster Management Authority | India |
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Building on an earlier government order, and to “prevent any crowding/congregation of large number of homeless people” at one particular location, as well as “to ensure social distancing protocol to… |
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| Outdoor Emergency Shelters Add to Urgent Work Protecting People Experiencing Homelessness from COVID-19 | United States |
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The City of Portland, JOIN, and “a team of providers and advocates” announced the opening of three “Outdoor Emergency Shelters [which] will operate like temporary tent villages — offering not… |
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| COVID-19 Emergency Housing (COVID-19 Hébergement d’urgence) | France |
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Through this legislation, France has set aside more than 5,000 hotel rooms and has maintained 40 shelters to permit homeless individuals to self-isolate if they have been exposed to or… |
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| COVID-19 Response (Urgent Management Measures) Legislation Bill | New Zealand |
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Measures implemented in order to “respond effectively to COVID-19” included the temporary enactment of rent freezes as well as “restrictions on termination of tenancy.” These measures comprised “New Schedule 5… |
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| COVID-19: Eviction Bans and Suspensions to Support Renters | Canada |
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Because “rental housing falls under provincial jurisdiction” in Canada, provinces and territories including Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward… |
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| National Eviction Moratorium | Australia |
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The National Cabinet “agreed to a moratorium on evictions over the next six months for commercial and residential tenancies in financial distress who are unable to meet their commitments due… |
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