Fight for housing | Global actions against the housing market

A gray world map, many colorful dots. Blue for social media campaigns, orange for demonstrations, red for occupations, and black for "surprise actions." The markers flash on five continents. Over the weekend of April 27, global actions took place for the first time for International Housing Action Day, the international day of action for housing.

What unites the global grassroots movements are the same struggles, the Berlin Tenants' Union wrote in a press release ahead of the event. Examples include "real estate speculation, extractivist economic policies, mass displacement, and governments that prioritize profit over people." The alliance is therefore calling for an end to real estate speculation , public ownership models , climate-resilient housing , and the elimination of funding for "war- and military-funded housing."

"During these days of action, we want to make it clear that we can also organize together."

Adrian Tenants' Union Berlin

After several European days of action, participants in the first International Assembly in November 2024 decided to coordinate the day globally. This year, organizations demonstrated in the United States, members of the coalition in Brazil and Kenya planned squats, and several slums in the Philippines announced banner drops.

A spokesperson for Lupa-Philipinas explains: "Homelessness in our country is exacerbated by the conditions of our employment relationships." According to estimates for 2024, in the capital Manila alone, around three million people were homeless in 2024, and the employment rate was 56 percent in 2021, according to the Federal Statistical Office.

"The government, on the other hand, isn't offering affordable housing on the rental market. Instead, it's selling houses at a price we can't afford," the spokeswoman continued. The Philippine government is currently under President Ferdinand Marcos , son of the island nation's former dictator of the same name.

In Germany, however, according to the 2024 Homelessness Report, approximately 531,600 homeless people live there. This means they have no permanent residence or secure private housing. Several locations in this country also participated in the action days. In Leipzig, people exchanged views on successful measures against evictions; in Berlin, interested parties could choose between a banner drop against vacancy – around 40,000 apartments are currently empty in the capital despite the housing shortage – a pub quiz organized by Deutsche Wohnen and others, film screenings, and rallies.

Adrian, a member of the Berlin Tenants' Union, says it's clear that not everyone within the alliance is affected by the current situation in the same way. Nevertheless, the human need for housing unites them. "During these days of action, we want to make it clear that we are fighting for these conditions all over the world, that we know and see each other, and that we can organize together," says the activist.