In the 1949 Housing Act, Congress declared "a decent home and a suitable living environment for every American
family" our national housing goal. Today, little more than half a century later, upwards of 100 million people
in the United States live in housing that is physically inadequate, unsafe, overcrowded, or unaffordable.
The contributors to A Right to Housing consider the key issues related to America's housing crisis, including income
inequality and insecurity, segregation and discrimination, the rights of the elderly, as well as legislative and
judicial responses to homelessness. The book offers a detailed examination of how access to adequate housing is
directly related to economic security.
With essays by leading activists and scholars, this book presents a powerful and compelling analysis of the persistent
inability of the U.S. to meet many of its citizens' housing needs, and a comprehensive proposal for progressive
change.