Change the Count
You have the power to change lives and help make our cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. Help us raise awareness of issues related to extreme housing poverty, such as land rights, gender equality and urbanisation.
By 2030, 1 out of 4 people will live in poor housing conditions.
The fast-moving challenge posed by the COVID-19 pandemic adds another urgent reason to ensure that people can shelter at home and protect their health and families.
In Europe today, young people cannot afford to rent a flat in many cities; and a growing number of families cannot pay their energy bills. Globally, more than half of the urban population lives in slums. Proper housing is a matter of life and death in the current pandemic as people are asked to stay at home to protect themselves against the coronavirus.
Home has become more important than ever, and the European Union has a role to play. Join Habitat for Humanity in calling on the EU to:
· Prioritize affordable housing in the next EU budget for 2021-27, particularly for countries in the global South.
· Increase funding for access to water and sanitation and for slum upgrading to protect communities against diseases.
· Address energy poverty in the European Green Deal with concrete financial measures.
Situation
More than half of the people around the world live in urban areas. By 2050, urban residents are expected to almost double, adding an additional 2,5 billion people to the global urban population. Cities will continue to grow as people search for jobs, stability and the promise of a better life. While progress has been made, the world’s ability to meet the housing demand of the global urban population is currently outpaced by the rate of urbanisation. One in every 8 people live in a slum.
Without adequate and affordable housing; without land rights, more and more families are at risk of poverty and insecurity. The current coronavirus pandemic has highlighted importance of housing as the means of protection against deadly diseases. A proper home has become the most important remedy. But it is not accessible to all. Habitat for Humanity works for access to decent housing because it is foundational to individuals and families, to the to the communities in which we live and to the economies in which we all participate.
However, many countries are unprepared and unable to meet the growing housing needs of urban residents. The expected global population increase of 1,18 billion combined with the existing global housing need, means that approximately 2 billion people will be in need of adequate housing in 2030. This creates an unprecedented housing challenge.
Take action now. Join Habitat for Humanity and partner organizations all over Europe to urge the EU to support the above recommendations, promoting a world in which everyone has a decent place to live.
(1) Sign our petition to support the campaign
(2) Follow Habitat Ireland on Facebook & Twitter and share our #BuildSG posts.
(3) Read our blogs about key global issues.
(4) Share what you learn with friends, family, and colleagues.
(5) Visit our information stands and speak to us at events, including Africa Day, Irish Aid Fair, TY Expo, Schools Summit, Zeminar, and a variety of university and corporate fairs throughout the year.
(6) Invite Habitat Ireland to your school, university, community club, or work place to provide interactive workshops and presentations on issues related to SDG 11 and the New Urban Agenda e.g. land rights, gender equality, urbanisation and slum upgrading.
(7) Sign up to build homes through our Global Village volunteering programme.
‘Build Solid Ground’ Resources: Learn more about these issues
Senseless Evictions
75 percent of people lack the proper documentation to the land on which they live. Millions of people live in constant fear of eviction, unwilling to leave their homes in case they are never able to return. With secure tenure, people live without the fear of eviction and invest more in their families, their communities, and their futures.

Unequal Rights
Women are half of the global population, yet are routinely and systematically denied their right to land. Improving the property rights of women has a catalytic effect, elevating the standards of living for entire communities and populations.

Slums
One out of every 7 people on the planet lives in a slum. By 2030, the global slum population is expected to double to 2 billion. Slum upgrading means improving living conditions of informal settlements in a responsible manner, providing access to decent housing in the short term and the long term.

Disaster and Devastation
When disaster strikes a community, people lose their homes. When a disaster strikes a community without proper land laws in place, people lose their homes and their ability to recover. Disaster resilience enables communities to better prepare, respond and recover from disasters, predictable or otherwise.

And remember, every one of us deserves a decent and affordable place to call home.
Through ‘Build Solid Ground’, funded by the European Union, we are working with 13 partners across Europe on engaging European Citizens in solving these critical issues beyond their borders, and in recognising the interdependencies between Europe and the Global South (low-income countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America).
This subpage was created and maintained with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of Habitat for Humanity Ireland and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

