ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author aims to consider the issue of rights in some detail. He argues that one can build up from a common sense perception of necessary human functionings – that relate to our basic and instrumental needs – to a conception of the right to housing as the elemental condition for human flourishing. In political and policy terms, responsibility and choice respectively are more important, but both these concepts need the notion of a universal right to housing to support them. The notion of housing rights is, of course, quite commonly referred to. Indeed there are many texts which aim to explain what rights individuals have to housing and associated benefits, usually produced by professional and lobbying bodies such as the Chartered Institute of Housing, and Shelter. Positive rights imply a need for actions on the part of some agency or individual, whilst negative rights imply the need to maintain some position to prevent coercion.
