“This huge jump in mortality due to heat is tragic and something many people thought they’d never see in the Pacific Northwest with its mostly moderate climate.”

~Acting State Health Officer Scott Lindquist, MD, MPH..
from a Washington State Department of Health news release, July 8, 2021

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Myth: Only those who "earn it" have the right to shelter

Fact: Shelter is a basic human need.

We require protection from freezing temperatures, sun, wind, and rain. Human skin and organs are damaged from exposure to extreme temperatures.
Only air and water are more critical to sustaining life than shelter. Breathing air, drinking water, and putting up barriers to the weather are not earned privileges; these are requirements for survival and basic human rights.

In Fact: Homelessness violates the principle of human dignity enshrined in articles 1 and 22 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in the

International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

More on shelter as a basic need and a human right

Homelessness and Human Rights from the Human Rights Commision of the United Nations
Housing as a Human Right, by Eric Tars, Senior Attorney,National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty
How SDoH Align With Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: an examination of Mazlow's Hierarchy of Needs as it relates to Social Determinants of Health

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Additional information and graphics for the Safe Sites 4 All Campaign are available here.

Please help us dispel myths by sharing these messages with others.

Regards

Theresa Power-Drutis
SS4A Campaign Team

tpdrutis@nctacoma.org