Three measures to provide decent housing for migrant communities

One of the first challenges for migrant and refugee communities upon arrival in their new country is finding a place to live. On many occasions, due to segregation or money, they opt for places that do not offer basic services for migrant families to develop a dignified and healthy life. Here are some keys to finding solutions to this phenomenon.

The city is the first space that a migrant shares with his or her host community. Housing, meanwhile, is the first place where a link with the territory is established, giving way to initial integration.

Having access to adequate housing is a human right, and formulating public policies that ensure and formulating public policies that ensure optimal living conditions in cities is key. And the people affected by this problem are key actors.

One of the focuses of the
Hello America 2022 Festival
was

Cities and Housing

. There, working tables were set up to share ideas to help provide decent housing for migrant and refugee communities.

Here are some of the measures
measures proposed by speakers from the Hola America Festival
who work on migration, to contribute to housing issues:

Regulating the value of leases

For many migrants, buying property is not a viable option, either because they will live in the receiving cities for a limited time, or because of difficulties in obtaining a mortgage loan.

Considering this, establishing parameters in rental values that are affordable for the migrant community helps to alleviate the burden on families and allows them to have a better quality of life at a reasonable price.

Improving housing quality

Unfortunately, having a place of residence that has water, gas, electricity and enough space for everyone in the household to live optimally is not a reality for all migrants.

On many occasions, due to lack of knowledge, segregation or lack of money, migrants must stay in housing that does not have basic services. If the supply of housing were of a minimum quality, the integration of migrants and their families would be more effective.

Urbanizing camp areas

Another common phenomenon of large migration flows is that migrants settle in camps. It is imperative to provide a housing solution for these people, because as in the previous case, these spaces do not meet their minimum needs.

One way to address this major challenge is to talking and working together with local governments, to take measures that are in accordance with the geographic space of the host area.The project also aims to create housing solutions suitable for linking the community of the camps with the rest of the city.

Some of the organizations that participated in the Hello America Festival to address housing issues included Local Footprint Foundation, Achievable and Social Urbanism, which are responsible for co-creating solutions to support these communities, with the understanding that ensuring the right to housing guarantees the integration of migrants and the protection of other fundamental rights.