Governing the Belongings of the Precariously Housed: A Critical Legal Geography

Abstract

Precariously housed people face serious challenges in securing their personal possessions from the actions of both private and public actors. This is despite evidence of widespread destruction, seizure, and theft; associated violations of equality and dignity rights; the significance of the belongings to their owners; and the heightened vulnerability that the loss of their belongings may place people in. Law seems to provide minimal recognition and protection of precariously housed people's possessions. There is a significant lack of scholarly and policy attention given to the issue. We lay out some preliminary concepts for the analysis of this important topic, focusing on critical legal geography, evaluation, governance, and personhood, before introducing our own research project.