What is a housing shortage?

What is a housing shortage?

Let's learn a bit more about housing shortage as an issue!

The global housing crisis

• The world is experiencing a global housing crisis. About 1.6 billion people live in substandard housing and 100 million are homeless, according to United Nations’ statistics. Affordable, decent housing is a basic human need, yet it is in alarmingly short supply in our very own neighborhoods, our nation and throughout the world.

Multiple Choice

According to the United Nations, there are about ______ people living in sub standard housing and _____ homeless.

• 1.2billion, 10 million

• 1.6 billion, 100 million

• 1.6 million, 100 million

• 16 million, 10 million

Video 1: Why you cannot afford a home in the UK

• We should all be able to afford a home in an area we want to live. But for many people living in the UK, this isn’t a reality. Instead, finding somewhere to live can often feel like a game. Why is this so?

  
  

  Watch this video that tells the story of the UK housing affordability crisis, explains why prices keep on rising, and offers a way out of the mess.

Multiple Choice

1) According to the video, when does housing shortage occur?

• When demand for houses exceeds supply

• When supply of houses exceeds demand

• When demand and supply of houses are equal

• When there is no demand and supply of houses at all

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT a likely situation that people in a housing shortage situation would face?

• Provision of basic services

• Threat of eviction

• Lack of safe shelter

• Lack of infrastructure

Multiple Choice

Which of the following statements describe a lack of safe shelter?

• “We don’t always get water readily. When there is water shortage, I have to walk 40 minutes to get water from the nearest well.”

• “Our water pipes are made of plastic and have holes in them. Sometimes the water gets mixed with sewage and becomes contaminated. It is very harmful for us who live here."

• “It is difficult to get clean water around here because of all the rubbish around here. We have no choice. There is nowhere else for us to throw our rubbish.”

• “The roof of my house is made of cheap material and has collapsed once during an earthquake. During winter, we are exposed to the cold every day.”

Video 2: Life in the slums

In this video, presenter Seth Doane traveled to the Dharavi slums in India to get a realistic image of life in the country's poorest neighborhoods. Indians that live and work in the slums can afford very little on their salaries.

Watch the video and answer the questions that follow!

Multiple Choice

Housing shortage occurs when _______________.

• demand for affordable and decent housing is less than the supply available leading to insufficient houses to accommodate the population in an area

• demand for affordable and decent housing is equal to the supply available, leading to insufficient housing to accommodate the population in an area

• demand for affordable and decent housing is more than the supply available. This leads to insufficient houses to accommodate the population in an area

• there is no demand for affordable and decent housing in an area

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT an indication of housing shortage in a place?

• The presence of slums

• The presence of homeless people

• The presence of squatter settlements

• The presence of quality houses with access to amenities

This picture shows the Rocinha Favela located in Rio De Janeiro in Brazil. It is the biggest slum in Latin America that houses more than 70,000 inhabitants.

Open Ended

Observe the conditions of the Rocinha Favela.

1) How would you describe the conditions of the area?

2) What kind of living conditions do you think the people living there experience?

What you would have learnt today:

1) What is a housing shortage?

2) Why does it occur?