Should Housing Be a Right?

Stop and think of your own home.  If you’re presently there, take a look around.  How does it make you feel?  How important is your home?  How often do you think about what it provides and how essential it is to your life

Comfort, security, and peace of mind are all provided by a good, safe home.  Do you think you could perform well at work if your home was too hot or too cold for you to sleep?  Would your evenings be different if you had to go fetch water from a well?  What if you couldn’t afford to live someplace safe and had to change apartments every so many months?  What if you didn’t live close to work?

Too many families in Appalachia have to deal with subpar housing.  In that I mean because of the lack of jobs and infrastructure in the rural areas, people make due with homes that lack important things such as running water, adequate heat, and cooling.  Many are older homes and are not structurally sound.  Some people are not even “fortunate” enough to live in subpar housing- homelessness in rural Appalachia as well as more urban regions.

Housing has dramatic impact on every aspect of our lives.  Fahe believes that everyone should have access to a safe, affordable home.  Healthy living conditions are as important as education and medical care.

We will have an ongoing series on our blog discussing a potentially controversial topic: Should access to housing be a right?

So what are your thoughts?  Why is your home important to you?  Do you believe that everyone should have access to a safe, affordable housing?  Leave us a comment and let us know what you think.