UN Rapporteur -- hosted by PTH last year -- releases final report on housing in the U.S.

Picture the Homeless was proud to co-host the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing's first official visit to the U.S. in October-November 2009.  In New York City, PTH leader Rob Robinson chaired her town hall meeting, and along with NESRI and other organizations, led the Rapporteur -- Raquel Rolnik from Brazil -- on tours of the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens to investigate homelessness and housing conditions to inform her findings, reports, and recommendations to the U.N. and U.S.  After Rolnik attended similar events and investigation in Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Pine Ridge Reservation SD, Washington DC, and Wilkes-Barre PA, Rolnik met with the chairs from each city in Washington D.C. Checkout our survey of press coverage and links here.

Rapporteur Rolnick's final report on her U.S. mission was released last week.

A Huffington Post story on the report noted some of her recommendations -- influenced by PTH and some of our allies, and affirming our campaigns:

* Making vacant properties available to housing organizations for the provision of affordable housing

* Developing constructive alternatives to the criminalization of homelessness, and where adequate shelter is not available, homeless persons should be allowed to shelter themselves in public areas

*Expanding the HUD definition of homelessness to include those living doubled up with others due to economic hardship

Rob Robinson and everyone at Picture the Homeless thank Raquel Rolnik, our friends at NESRI and all of our allies for participating in and supporting this important work.  The report, and other text and multimedia materials that are being produced out of this project, will continue to be important resources in the struggle for housing as a human right -- for example, to challenge the U.S. State Department in its reports to the U.N.'s Universal Periodic Review -- and much, much more.