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Here are three reasons why safe homes must be at the heart of efforts to end poverty.
 

1. The global housing crisis affects billions of people

More than 2.8 billion people worldwide experience some form of housing insecurity. This includes 1.1 billion people living in informal settlements and slums. On top of that, over 300 million people lack a place to call home.

The crisis disproportionately affects people already facing poverty and exclusion, including women, children, older persons, persons with disabilities, migrants, refugees and racial and ethnic minorities.

Rising housing costs, armed conflicts, forced displacement and climate-related disasters are increasing housing insecurity. Many people are being pushed into unsafe, overcrowded or precarious living conditions. Not by choice, but because housing systems are failing to meet their needs.
 

2. A safe home is the foundation for dignity and opportunity

A home is much more than physical shelter. It provides security, privacy, stability and a sense of belonging. It also creates the foundation from which people can access education, health care, decent work, social protection and public life.

Without a secure home, access to other rights becomes much more difficult. Housing insecurity can harm physical and mental health, interrupt children¡¯s education, disrupt employment and separate families and communities.

As one participant in the global consultation for the 2026 theme explained: ¡°A home is not just four walls: it is a place where one feels safe.¡±

The  adopted at the Second World Summit for Social Development last year, reinforces this message by reaffirming the right to an adequate standard of living, including safe, accessible and affordable housing, drinking water and equitable sanitation.
 

3. Lasting solutions must include people living in poverty

People experiencing poverty have direct and irreplaceable knowledge of the challenges they face. Housing policies developed without their meaningful participation can overlook daily realities and reproduce the exclusion they are intended to address.

The 2026 theme, which is part of the three-year theme ¡°United for Peace and Human Rights,¡± calls for people living in poverty to be recognized as rights-holders and knowledge-holders. Governments should move beyond conducting consultations and involve affected communities in designing, implementing and evaluating housing policies.

Governments and their partners must also mobilize adequate resources and ensure that housing is affordable, accessible, safe, secure and connected to essential services.

On the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, UN DESA joins partners around the world in calling for housing systems that place human rights, dignity and meaningful participation at their centre. While the Day is officially recognized on 17 October, the commemoration event will take place on 16 October this year.

Safe homes for all are not a privilege. They are essential to end poverty and building peaceful, inclusive and sustainable societies.

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