Housing

Article Investigation

 About Abd el Baqi building in Hamra:

squatting to reclaim the city’s social role

The right to the city is an application of the right to ​​access housing and city spaces, through the recognition of the importance of the space’s social role. Today, a number of displaced people are trying to apply the concepts of the right to the city and housing by taking possession of an abandoned building in Hamra. About a month ago, the owner of the building sent an eviction request to the public prosecutor. The eviction didn’t take place, but by narrating the threat and the building’s story, we hope to open a discussion about squatting, the priorities that drive such an issue, and the balance of power it reveals, especially since squatting has become a necessity and a reality during the war.

Statement

WUF12: Disconnecting from Reality in a Region Struggling for Housing Rights

The World Urban Forum (WUF) was created to drive real change in cities by connecting global goals with local action. The WUF12 program appears to have decontextualized the core purpose of the World …

Investigation

May school in Tripoli: A Model of the Syrian Housing Tragedy during War

The emergency plan approved by the Lebanese government in response to the recent Israeli war on Lebanon excluded non-Lebanese displaced persons, especially Syrian refugees, from relief and shelter centers. In this report, we review the situation in May Public School in Tripoli as an example of the tragedy of Syrian housing in the war to highlight the urgent need for comprehensive shelter policies and protection for all displaced communities.

Policy Watch

Displaced Syrians, between an emergency plan that excludes them and the UNHCR that ignores them

In Saida, 145 displaced Syrian families are living in a parking lot due to their exclusion from the relief response outlined in Lebanon’s emergency plan, which prioritizes Lebanese citizens. Both the municipality and the UNHCR are refusing to carry the responsibility for their shelter, with the UNHCR advising refugees to seek shelter elsewhere, leaving many homeless. This piece calls for the UNHCR to fulfill its responsibility by either establishing shelters for displaced Syrians or advocating for non-discriminatory access to shelter with the Lebanese government.

From Dossier Investigation

Eviction in the war: Protecting Private Property, the Case of Hildon Hotel

Once again, we document the story of an abandoned building, the “Hildon Hotel” in Raouche, where around 600 displaced people, fleeing the Israeli war, sought refuge. Though the hotel owner’s son initially allowed them to stay, he later demanded their eviction, forcing them to leave without alternative housing. This case highlights the urgent need for government intervention, calling for the use of vacant properties as temporary housing and ensuring evictions follow legal procedures with suitable alternatives provided.

From Dossier Investigation

The Right to Housing: Immediate Measures for Providing Equitable Shelter

By October 2024, over 1.3 million people had been displaced in Lebanon as a result of the Israeli war. Despite the urgent need for state-led relief, the government’s efforts have largely fallen short, …

Statement

Security forces threaten displaced women in the Hamra area with violence and eviction from a vacant building

What measures should the authorities take when vacant buildings are occupied by displaced people due to the war?

After the Zionist escalation of civilian homes, Lebanese families were displaced from the Bekaa, the southern suburb and the south, sheltering inside the Hamra Star building on property 70, which had been vacant …

Dossier

The Right to the city and to housing during wars

It is not possible to imagine a war that would displace one fifth of the population, destroying the suburb of Beirut as well as the country’s southern and eastern region, bombing Lebanon’s entire …

Petition

Call regarding the Use of Public Spaces by Displaced Persons

The statement addresses the issue of displaced persons occupying public spaces due to the ongoing war and a rapid increase in displacement. In the initial phases, many displaced individuals sought refuge in open …

Field Watch

Unequal Distribution of Shelters: Undermining Shared Social Responsibility

Beirut has 114 designated shelters for displaced individuals, including public schools, private educational centers, and other facilities. These shelters are housing around 40,000 displaced people, mostly in crowded areas like Mazraa, Ras Beirut, …

Statement

On the state’s responsibility in facing the effects of war

In light of the Israeli aggression that has relentlessly destroyed our cities and villages, the state’s crisis is worsening in its failure to fulfill its responsibilities towards the displaced and targeted, which constitutes …

Statement

Urgent World Habitat Day Appeal: End Israeli Occupation and Criminalise Domicide

Global Crisis of Housing Rights Violations in Palestine and Lebanon

As the United Nations marks World Habitat Day on October 7, we are encouraged to “reflect on the state of towns and cities, and on the basic right of all to adequate shelter.” …