Housing Rights Watch

Gyula Balog (1959-2025), housing rights and anti-poverty activist, speaking with Human Rights Watch at his home in Budapest, November 2025. On the wall is a map of Amsterdam Island, part of a remote archipelago in the southern Indian ocean, about which Balog was writing a novel. © 2025 Human Rights Watch

In Memory of Gyula Balog (1959-2025), an inspiring housing rights and anti-poverty activist

Here is a brief reflection on behalf of @hrw.org to express our condolences, as Gyula’s friends and colleagues lay him to rest today in Budapest.

Rest in power, Gyula bacsi!

www.hrw.org/news/2025/12...

"Litigation on the Progressive Realisation of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: Under What Conditions May It Be Strategic?" A paper co-produced by a team of human rights academics and practitioners. Supported by @slsauk.bsky.social cbeh.cat/wp-content/u... cc @essexhrc.bsky.social

Over half of #Barcelona residents blame tourist apartments for neighbourhood tension #right2housing

🏠 Want to stay updated on housing rights across Europe?
Subscribe to our newsletter for news, actions & insights!
📩 Sign up now: bit.ly/4hJ9RXC
🌐 housingrightswatch.org
#HousingRights #SocialJustice #Right2Housing

This week, Observatori DESCA presented a report to the Spanish Ministry of Consumer Affairs on unfair terms in the housing market (in Spanish). Can consumer law advance the #right2housing?
You can find the report here 👉 bit.ly/46hXYEh

🏡New report on the experience of several European cities in managing short-term rentals by @ohb.cat 21/10/2025 #Right2housing

🏠 Want to stay updated on housing rights across Europe?
Subscribe to our newsletter for news, actions & insights!
📩 Sign up now: bit.ly/4hJ9RXC
🌐 housingrightswatch.org
#HousingRights #SocialJustice #Right2Housing

A single mother in low-wage work shows her monthly household budget to Human Rights Watch during an interview, Baden-Württemberg, February 2023. © 2023 Kartik Raj/ Human Rights Watch

Germany’s government is set to make major social security cuts, and replace the only recently-created “Citizen’s Income” with a more punitive “New Income for Jobseekers”.

These plans will increase poverty.

Human rights can help guide the debate back to what matters.

www.hrw.org/news/2025/09...

Thank you @koldocasla.bsky.social and University of Essex and Barcelona colleagues, for the opportunity to discuss strategic litigation and other avenues to make progress in realizing ESC rights. Great to meet and work with @observadesca.bsky.social @rightohousing.bsky.social @gentium.bsky.social

Tell the Secretary of State for Housing we need action on unfair rent rises - Generation Rent Letter: Tell Angela Rayner, the Secretary of State for Housing, we need action on unfair rent rises Dear Angela Rayner,  We are private renters and supporters in England and we […]

For decades, private landlords have had free rein to set rents as they please. The result? Skyrocketing prices and renters pushed to breaking point.

There's still time to sign our letter to Angela Rayner, urging the Gov to take action on unfair rent hikes

⬇️

www.generationrent.org/campaign/tel...

📧 New issue of www.housingrightswatch.org#newsletter, this time featuring an analysis entitled ‘Stable, constant and secure access to adequate #energy: the case of Cañada Real in #Madrid’: www.housingrightswatch.org/content/stab...

#ECJ: A Member State may not plead an unforeseeable influx of applicants for international protection in order to evade its obligation to cover #asylum seekers’ basic needs 👉 curia.europa.eu/jcms/jcms/Jo...

📧 New issue of www.housingrightswatch.org#newsletter, this time featuring an analysis entitled ‘Stable, constant and secure access to adequate #energy: the case of Cañada Real in #Madrid’: www.housingrightswatch.org/content/stab...

Subscribe - National Homelessness Law Center Subscribe Complete the form below and we'll deliver our newsletter direct to your inbox. Note: We never sell or share your personal information!

Hey Bluesky enjoyers, we're here now. Follow and subscribe to get the latest on the fight to solve homelessness with housing and support. homelesslaw.org/subscribe/

WEBINAR | @feantsa.bsky.social Repurposing vacant spaces to create housing solutions?
🗓️Join us on 21 May at 10:00 am CEST for the launch of our new report exploring innovative ways to turn empty spaces into opportunity.
🔗 Register : bit.ly/4kcZueE
#RightToHousing #VacantSpaces

WEBINAR | @feantsa.bsky.social Repurposing vacant spaces to create housing solutions?
🗓️Join us on 21 May at 10:00 am CEST for the launch of our new report exploring innovative ways to turn empty spaces into opportunity.
🔗 Register : bit.ly/4kcZueE
#RightToHousing #VacantSpaces

EAC #HousingActionDays Webinar 💻

📢 PARALLEL WORLDS
Demands of grassroots movements and the EU plan for affordable housing

📌 Saturday, April 26, 5 pm CET
facebook.com/events/18751...

Speakers are:

📣✊We will be joining @pahbarcelona.bsky.social along other social movements tomorrow at 6PM at Plaça Universitat in Barcelona, come and join us! #OurHomesOurPower

@maketheshift.bsky.social @rightohousing.bsky.social @inquilinatomad.bsky.social @sindicatlloguer.bsky.social

US: Trump’s First 100 Days an Assault on Rights The Trump administration’s first 100 days in office have been a relentless barrage of actions that violate, threaten, or undermine the human rights of people in the United States and abroad.

The Trump administration’s first 100 days in office have been a relentless barrage of actions that violate, threaten, or undermine human rights.

To illustrate the breadth and depth of damage, HRW has compiled 100 harmful actions during these 100 days ⤵️

Get ready for #had2025 !
If you would like to participate in global Housing Action Days, but are unsure if you have the capacity or you don't have an idea what you could do, get inspired by some actions from last year.

📢 Join us and 570+ organisations from across the EU and beyond:

We call on MEPs to address unprecedented attacks on NGOs in the European Parliament and ensure citizens’ voices are heard ‼️

📄 Read our statement: civilsocietyeurope.eu/attacks-on-n...

#StopAttackingNGOs

✍️We'll be publishing our newsletter soon. Sign up if you don't want to miss it!

📧On va bientôt publier notre newsletter. Inscrivez-vous pour ne pas la louper.
www.housingrightswatch.org

🚨 Major legal development on Denmark's 'ghetto package' Advocate General Ćapeta's opinion confirms: ⚖️ "Non-western" background constitutes ethnic origin, the law is #discriminatory in breach of Directive. Read the analysis by Susheela Math, Open Society Justice Initiative:
🔗https://bit.ly/4j4nAHV

🚨 Major legal development on Denmark's 'ghetto package' Advocate General Ćapeta's opinion confirms: ⚖️ "Non-western" background constitutes ethnic origin, the law is #discriminatory in breach of Directive. Read the analysis by Susheela Math, Open Society Justice Initiative:
🔗https://bit.ly/4j4nAHV

Governments should increase initiatives to enhance the supply of #socialhousing and strengthen protections against #evictions ' #housingrights #right2housing

ECSR Review on cost-of-living crisis 'Rising housing costs and an increasing risk of #homelessness are critical issues. The ECSR stresses that the Charter requires States to ensure that rents are affordable & that adequate housing benefits are adequate in relation to housing costs' bit.ly/3FRLw2F

Power outages in Madrid shantytown: European Committee of Social Rights concludes that energy poverty breaches Social Charter - Portal - www.coe.int European Committee of Social Right Strasbourg 26 February 2025

People must have access to stable, consistent and safe access to adequate energy, says the @coe.int’s European Committee of #SocialRights in a landmark decision 👇

🔗 www.coe.int/en/web/porta...

#HumanRights #EuropeanSocialCharter

❗ The decision of the European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) of the Council of Europe in the Complaint No. 203/2021, FEANTSA v. Belgium, is now public.

It confirms serious violations of the European Social Charter in relation to the right to #housing in the Flemish region of Belgium.

The decision in @FEANTSA v. Belgium is now public. Their press release highlights the urgent need for #housing policies that effectively tackle #homelessness and prioritise the needs of vulnerable groups. #woonzaak www.feantsa.org/en/press-rel... The decision: hudoc.esc.coe.int/fre/?i=cc-20...

Europa velt vernietigend oordeel over Vlaamse woonbeleid: ‘We moeten steun voor mensen die een woning willen kopen afbouwen’ Te weinig sociale woningen en onvoldoende inspanningen om de kwaliteit van huurwoningen op te krikken. Europa velt een vernietigend oordeel over het Vlaamse woonbeleid. ‘We moeten de steun voor mensen...

Interessant: het Europees Comité voor Sociale Rechten stelt de Vlaamse "Woonzaak" in het gelijk.
"De Vlaamse regering doet niet genoeg om de betaalbaarheid van woningen voor kwetsbare groepen aan te pakken"
www.demorgen.be/nieuws/europ...