LEADERS, UN DELEGATES SHOWCASE URGENT NEED TO IMPROVE DIRE URBAN LIVING CONDITIONS WORLDWIDE, INCLUDING NEW YORK CITY, ON WORLD HABITAT DAY

LEADERS, UN DELEGATES SHOWCASE URGENT NEED TO IMPROVE DIRE URBAN LIVING

CONDITIONS WORLDWIDE, INCLUDING NEW YORK CITY , ON WORLD HABITAT DAY

New Habitat for Humanity Homes Dedicated for Six Harlem Families

NEW YORK, 3 October (UN-HABITAT) -- Today, civic leaders from Habitat for Humanity, The Earth Institute at Columbia University, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), the Rockefeller Foundation interfaith leaders, and numerous United Nations delegates are highlighting the critical need for better living conditions for the urban poor in New York City as part of the global observances of World Habitat Day.

Tens of thousands of New York City families live in overcrowded, unsafe or unhealthy homes, while one in three urban dwellers around the world live in dire conditions:  unsafe and insecure housing, poor or no access to clean drinking water, cramped and overcrowded spaces, and non-existent sanitary facilities.

“Despite the fact that the majority of the world’s population will live in cities and that the fastest growth will be in the poorest countries, addressing the problems of urban poverty in a systematic way has been a low priority.  We all have an important stake in developing sustainable housing solutions because it’s one of the first steps in creating peace and prosperity for everyone who lives in cities”, said Elliott Sclar, Director of the Center for Sustainable Urban Development at the Earth Institute, Columbia University.

Providing decent, affordable housing for the poor has been a recent focus in the United States and the need for New Yorkers is no exception.  According to Habitat for Humanity-NYC and HousingFirst! one in four New York renters pays more than 50 per cent of their household income in rent and utilities.  Of those who pay more than half, 90 per cent are low-income and 62 per cent fall below the poverty line.  Because of the severe housing shortage and skyrocketing rents, many families are forced to live in poor conditions that are structurally unsafe, overcrowded, infested with rodents, and with little or no access to heat.  The unhealthy environment has also contributed to some of the highest rates of respiratory disease in the country.

To spotlight the local and global need for housing and to commemorate World Habitat Day, the leaders and United Nations delegates will gather in Harlem to dedicate six new Habitat for Humanity homes for six different families and at Columbia University to discuss the issue.  Delegates include those from Armenia, Austria, Bangladesh, Benin, Brazil, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Congo, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Ethiopia, Hungary, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Mexico, Mongolia, Peru, Poland, Russian Federation, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

“The renovation is part of Habitat-NYC’s ‘Housing Covenant’ campaign, calling on all New Yorkers to unite and meet this housing challenge in the city”, said Roland Lewis, Executive Director of Habitat-NYC.  “The homes we build are part of the solution, not the solution.  For every one family that we are able to help, there are 10,000 more New York City families that need affordable, decent housing.”

All the apartments in the newly renovated, five-story building are energy efficient and built with environmentally friendly materials.  The new homes will allow families like Judy and Tyrone Wise and their three children to move from a cramped, one-bedroom apartment to a healthy and affordable, three-bedroom apartment with a room for each child.

“The experience of meeting and working with the other parents and the volunteers committed to helping is such a wonderful thing”, says Ms. Wise.  “Owning our own home will be like getting a piece of the apple pie, the American dream.”

“There are millions of families around the world living in sub-standard shelters.  For these families, the end of a life in poverty begins with a safe, decent affordable home.  That’s why we are partnering with organizations like UN-HABITAT and the Earth Institute to find practical solutions to poverty and sub-standard housing worldwide”, said Jonathan Reckford, Chief Executive Officer of Habitat for Humanity International.

“The number of people around the world who live in appalling, unacceptable conditions continues to skyrocket.  Action is needed now more than ever.  Leaders in the public and private sector must join forces with civil representatives and the philanthropic community to find solutions to the world’s urgent housing crisis that are long-lasting, tangible, and meaningful”, said Judith Rodin, President of the Rockefeller Foundation.

From New Delhi to New Orleans to New York City, World Habitat Day is a United Nations-designated day to recognize the basic human right to adequate shelter and to remind the world of its collective responsibility for the future of human habitat.  This event is the official United States observance and part of the larger, global effort to improve the lives of at least 100 million urban dwellers by 2020.  Achieving this worldwide challenge is one of the Millennium Development Goals, agreed upon by world leaders in 2000.

“The United Nations has designated the first Monday of October each year as World Habitat Day to reflect on the state of human settlements, especially the living conditions of the urban poor and their right to adequate housing”, said Anna Tibaijuka, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN-HABITAT, the United Nations agency responsible for shelter.  “We must understand that there will always be a continual flow of poor people into urban areas.  Their considerable contribution to the economy is rarely matched by their access to affordable housing.  There is an urgent need for a substantial increase in pro-poor investment in shelter and basic services.”

According to Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Millennium Development Goals, “Nearly 1 billion people live in urban slums, and that number will increase dramatically in the next three decades, as low- and middle-income urban areas will account for nearly all population growth.  The Millennium Development Goals stress the imperative and urgent need to address the sanitation, water, and health needs of slum dwellers.  Thankfully, we have the resources and knowledge to protect 100 million urban dwellers in the next 15 years, but we need concerted efforts to mobilize those resources, make the proper investments and governance improvements, accelerate community development activities, and grant the legal protections that slum dwellers deserve.”

Figures from the UN-HABITAT indicate a growing global crisis.  By 2030, almost 1.7 billion of the approximately 3.9 billion urban dwellers in low- and middle-income countries will be living in slums.  And by 2020, about 570 million people will need alternative housing to avoid living in slum conditions.

Press contact: Anne Glauber, tel.: (212) 593-6317, mobile: (917) 370-2069, e-mail: glaubera@ruderfinn.com; or Christie Ly, tel.: (212) 593-6435, mobile: (917) 617-2437, e-mail: lyc@ruderfinn.com.

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