Human Rights Article Twenty-Five: The Right to an Adequate Standard of Living

Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for health and well-being — including food, clothing, housing, medical care and necessary social services.

This article is about the basics of a dignified life.

• A safe home.
• Enough to eat.
• Access to healthcare.
• Support during unemployment, illness, disability, old age or other times when people cannot support themselves.
• These are not luxuries.
• They are the conditions people need to live with dignity.

What is happening?

• Around the world, many people still struggle to meet basic needs.
• Families face high housing costs.
• People go without healthcare because they cannot afford it.
• Children experience hunger or poor nutrition.
• Older people may live without enough income or support.
• Homelessness is rising in some communities.
• Millions of people live in places without reliable sanitation, clean water or essential services.
• A person can be working full-time and still struggle to afford food, housing and medical care.
• The problem is not always that resources do not exist.
• It is often that access to them is unequal.

Why is it happening?

• Many essential needs are connected to economic systems that do not always prioritize universal access.
• Housing can become primarily an investment instead of a place to live.
• Healthcare can become unaffordable.
• Food systems can produce enormous amounts of food while people still go hungry.
• Wages may fail to keep pace with basic living costs.
• Public services may be underfunded or difficult to access.
• War, climate disruption, disasters and economic crises can make these problems even worse.
• The deeper question is whether our systems are designed around human well-being or around the ability to pay.

Who is affected?

People affected can include:

• Low-income families.
• Children.
• Older people.
• People with disabilities.
• People experiencing homelessness.
• Workers earning low or unstable wages.
• Single parents.
• Migrants and refugees.
• People living in rural or underserved communities.
• Communities affected by war, disaster or climate disruption.
• But the effects reach everyone.
• When large numbers of people cannot meet basic needs, health systems become strained.
• Education suffers.
• Crime and instability can increase.
• Families experience more stress.
• Communities become less resilient.

Who is already creating solutions?

• People and organizations around the world are developing practical ways to improve basic living conditions.
• Community housing organizations are creating affordable housing, cooperatives and community land trusts.
• Public health systems and community clinics expand access to preventive and essential healthcare.
• Food banks, food cooperatives and community agriculture programs help improve access to nutritious food.
• Social service organizations help people find housing, healthcare, childcare and financial support.
• Mutual-aid networks allow communities to share resources directly.
• Governments and local communities are experimenting with affordable housing programs, universal services, income support and stronger social protections.
• And social entrepreneurs are creating new models for clean water, renewable energy, food distribution and healthcare.

What can we do?

• Treat basic needs as foundations. Housing, food, healthcare and essential services should be considered part of a functioning society.
• Support affordable housing. Expand community land trusts, cooperatives and other models that keep homes accessible.
• Strengthen preventive healthcare. Helping people stay healthy is often better and less expensive than waiting for crisis.
• Reduce food waste and improve distribution. The problem is often not simply food production, but access.
• Support local solutions. Community-based organizations often know where the greatest gaps exist.
• Protect people during hardship. Illness, unemployment or disability should not automatically lead to poverty or homelessness.
• Measure success differently. Economic growth means little if people cannot afford the basics of life.

The systems-change question

Instead of asking:

“How do we help people who cannot afford basic necessities?”

Ask:

“Why are the necessities of life becoming inaccessible in the first place — and how do we redesign the systems that provide them?”

• Article Twenty-Five reminds us that human dignity requires more than survival.
• People need the conditions to live healthy and meaningful lives.
• A safe place to sleep.
• Nutritious food.
• Healthcare when needed.
• Support during difficult times.

The basics of life should not be beyond anyone’s reach.

A society should not be measured only by how much wealth it creates.

It should also be measured by whether people can live well.