United Nations Radio

Pres: Rachel Rolnik, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing is making her first official visit to the United States. During her first stop in New York the Special Rapporteur attended a town hall meeting where she heard testimonies from city residents about their living conditions. Gail Walker was there and prepared this report.

Gail: Senior citizens, youth, veterans, immigration advocates, residents of New Orleans who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina in 2005; one by one they shared their stories about the challenges they face obtaining adequate housing. They all came to Union Theological Seminary in New York City last week to testify before Raquel Rolnik, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing, who is conducting her first official visit to the United States.

Ms. Rolnik says while there's only so much she'll be able to accomplish during her two week visit, she hopes she can contribute to opening up a discussion about housing policies in the United States.

Raquel: This country has a history of intervening in housing sector, of building public housing, or intervening in the homelessness sector, on innovating programs like rent subsidizing and other schemes. But in a way I think that was stuck in some point now. And I think the way forward need to be discussed and I hope the visit of the Rapportuer can be, in a way, a catalyzer for this new discussion.

Gail: In addition to hearing from civil society, the Special Rapporteur also met with government representatives. She says she was pleased to hear both sides identify the same housing-related challenges.

Raquel: There is a consciousness of the need to do something and the type of issues that need to be tackled are there.

Gail: The Special Rapporteur says the main difference is the sense of urgency she heard from city residents.

Raquel: Here, you feel the radicality. When you talk with technicians, of course all of that it's a little bit more diluted. But I'm happy to see that these issues (that are here today) I heard also in the meetings with city officials.

Gail: Ms. Rolnik will present her official report to the UN Human Rights Council next March.

Reporting for UN Radio, I'm Gail Walker

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