Is Housing a Right or a Privilege?

I recently spent a few days talking with an 8th grade history class in Montana about discrimination and stereotypes in regard to civil rights, and one young lady raised an interesting question. She asked that if housing was a fundamental need for existence, then were the homeless being discriminated against by not being allowed to live in a house or apartment? We discussed the differences between rights and privileges and the conversation (in typical middle school fashion) went all over the map, peppered with exciting and refreshing commentary from kids who were wrestling with these issues for the first time.

When the day was over and I was driving home, I couldn't help but reflect back to what had transpired earlier in the day. Most of us would argue that having a place to live is crucial to survival. Using this logic, its not too much of a stretch to conclude that housing is a right of all people. Without delving into all the semantics of socioeconomic conditions, quality of life, or the physical makeup of the structure, I believe people, at a base level, must have a place to live. This is what elevates housing from a need to a right. We can argue about the logistics and implications, but the basic idea remains: people must have a place to live.

But I think America treats housing like a privilege.

We are consumed with celebrities and sports stars and what (and where) their homes are. We marvel at the amazingly stupendous mansions and homes that are so marvelous they seem to belong on another planet. Then we look at our own lives and (hopefully) find contentment even if we only have 3 bedrooms and no indoor basketball court or putting green. Whether we rent or own, we can lay our heads down and close our eyes in our own place. We are thankful and feel blessed. But what about those with no place to live? Are they living without a right or a privilege?

Would we work harder to help end homelessness if we truly believed people had a right to live somewhere and having a house or apartment wasn't a privilege that could be forfeited if the person made some bad choices or simply had some terrible, unforeseen circumstances land them homeless. We see people on the street and sometimes think they don't deserve a home for a multitude of reasons. We might not admit that, but I think it happens. Would we say food and clothing should be withheld from people (even if they made bad choices)? Then why are we okay with denying people housing? And, the majority of homeless people are not homeless because of addiction or criminal behavior. Rather, they are without housing because of unexpected financial burdens that were out of their control.

I know the concept of 'housing as a right' might sound controversial and my intent is to simply put the idea in front of you, for your consideration. If society truly believed this, and not that housing was a type of reward, then maybe more people would be angered with the current state of homelessness and not simply annoyed by it.