Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognises everyone’s right to an adequate standard of living that ensures their health and well-being and those of their family, including housing. However, this right is not always guaranteed. Some vulnerable groups, such as ethnic minorities, face barriers to accessing decent housing.
People from ethnic minorities experience systematic discrimination when looking for housing. For example, studies observe a lower response rate from landlords and agents to applications from ethnic minorities compared with those from other people with equivalent economic and employment circumstances.
From a social impact perspective, research should help both identify these problems and find solutions. Laws and institutional measures are needed to ensure equal opportunities in access to housing. Schools can also help overcome the prejudices that sustain discrimination.
In this context, Learning Communities encourage the participation of the whole community to achieve academic and social success for all students. The dialogic environments they create allow prejudices to be questioned and overcome by sharing scientific evidence of social impact within the community and through shared spaces for dialogue. These experiences can help build a society where ethnic background is no barrier to exercising fundamental rights, such as access to decent housing.
Primary Education Teacher.
Currently working on his doctoral thesis at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV).