Part 1: Sioux Falls Has A Housing Problem
Sioux Falls has a housing problem. Let’s be honest, every city has a housing problem right now.
And though we heard many times at the city’s Housing Summit, and at our Future of Local Housing, it is NOT a chicken and egg problem. That would be easier. This problem/challenge is way more dynamic. Lots of moving parts. Lots of causes. Lots of people trying to help. It is the result, in some part, of our community, which is dynamic, complex, and interdependent. We encourage you to not succumb to saying things to yourself our out loud,
“If they would just…”
“If we just had a…”
“Why don’t they…”
These won’t get you anywhere because the “they” includes you. The “we” includes you. It will literally take the community as a whole to make a change.
One distinct opportunity Sioux Falls has is that it often plays the role of laggard when it comes to civic innovation. This means that we usually have dozens if not hundreds of other cities that have implemented strategies and we can pick and choose from those to improve our system.
This also won’t be solved by any sort of top-down, unified, centralized plan. It will have to be tackled from every angle by all interdependent entities.
Before we move on we must find some sort of common ground as to why we are even talking about this. For us, it is a matter of human rights to have housing.
As Joel John Roberts, CEO of PATH (People Assisting the Homeless) in Los Angeles, said recently, “The right to permanent housing should trump the right to sleep, eat, and store one’s possessions on the streets.”
According to the National Economic & Social Rights Initiative (NESRI)
Everyone has a fundamental human right to housing, which ensures access to a safe, secure, habitable, and affordable home with freedom from forced eviction. It is the government’s obligation to guarantee that everyone can exercise this right to live in security, peace, and dignity. This right must be provided to all persons irrespective of income or access to economic resources. There are seven principles that are fundamental to the right to housing and are of particular relevance to the right to housing in the United States:
Security of Tenure: Residents should possess a degree of security of tenure that guarantees protection against forced evictions, harassment, and other threats, including predatory redevelopment and displacement.
Availability of Services, Materials, Facilities, and Infrastructure: Housing must provide certain facilities essential for health, security, comfort, and nutrition. For instance, residents must have access to safe drinking water, heating and lighting, washing facilities, means of food storage, and sanitation.
Affordability: Housing costs should be at such a level that the attainment and satisfaction of other basic needs are not threatened or compromised. For instance, one should not have to choose between paying rent and buying food.
Habitability/Decent and Safe Home: Housing must provide residents adequate space that protects them from cold, damp, heat, rain, wind, or other threats to health; structural hazards; and disease.
Accessibility: Housing must be accessible to all, and disadvantaged and vulnerable groups must be accorded full access to housing resources.
Location: Housing should not be built on polluted sites, or in immediate proximity to pollution sources that threaten the right to health of residents. The physical safety of residents must be guaranteed, as well. Additionally, housing must be in a location which allows access to employment options, health-care services, schools, child-care centers, and other social facilities.
Cultural Adequacy: Housing and housing policies must guarantee the expression of cultural identity and diversity, including the preservation of cultural landmarks and institutions. Redevelopment or modernization programs must ensure that the cultural significance of housing and communities is not sacrificed.
Do you agree? Is housing a right? Is it a privilege? Leave a comment.
