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Introduction
A shelter over your head and a safe and clean environment is considered a necessity for human survival. But millions of people live in less-than-ideal conditions. A conservative estimate by The Habitat in 2015 reveals that more than 1.6 billion people do not have access to housing.
Poverty is a significant issue that affects many nations. However, some countries are making efforts to help communities become economically independent. For example, Finland has made major strides in reducing homelessness by offering an apartment to anyone who is homeless.
Some countries provide their citizens with many housing schemes. Unfortunately, these programmes are usually buried under corruption.
Moreover, it isn’t merely enough to provide access to shelter; homes must also be affordable. Often, families do not have enough money to purchase a home and live there. Sometimes, maintaining a home is too expensive for people.
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Can Poverty be Extinguished by Providing Housing?
Giving poor people free homes is essential to lowering poverty rates. But housing is only one of the leading reasons for poverty. Some others are:
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Poor access to education
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Lack of clean water
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Access to affordable basic healthcare
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Lack of nutrition
All of these concerns must also be solved to reduce poverty. Many organisations work tirelessly to tackle these issues. However, this may be a very idealistic view.
Conclusion
While eradicating poverty through housing is not possible, it will reduce poverty. Ensuring the fair distribution of free housing to underprivileged communities can lower their need to pay rent. Thus, they can use their income for better healthcare, education, and other things mentioned above.
FAQs
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Do all countries have housing schemes?
No, not all countries have strong housing schemes or policies. Generally, developing countries lack the funds to provide their citizens with free homes.
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Is there poverty in every nation?
Poverty is when a person cannot get access to income or a means of support to meet their basic needs. So, yes, there is poverty in every nation. However, the extent of poverty differs.
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Which are the most poverty-stricken nations?
According to World Bank, these countries have the highest rates of poverty in 2021:
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South Sudan
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Equatorial Guinea
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Madagascar
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Guinea-Bissau
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Eritrea
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Sao Tome & Principe
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Burundi
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Democratic Republic of Congo
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Central Africa Republic
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Guatemala
The rates of these countries stand well above 59% and apply to 80% of the nation’s population.
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What does the percentage of poverty refer to?
South Sudan has a poverty rate of 82.30%. Thus, more than 82% of the population is living in poverty.
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What would it cost to eradicate poverty?
According to a leading economist, Jeffrey Sachs, it would cost one hundred and seventy-five billion American dollars every year for the next twenty years to truly eradicate poverty.
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