Housing. It’s a human right.
The Shift works with governments, communities, civil society, and advocates around the world to challenge the financialization of housing and advance the right to adequate housing as a binding legal obligation. We produce research and develop legal and policy frameworks, provide technical assistance to governments, build capacity with grassroots organizations, and engage investors and policymakers to align housing systems with human rights standards. We work across the full spectrum of the housing crisis, from corporate capture and homelessness to climate, because these are not separate problems. They are deeply interconnected, and they require the same fundamental shift.
Leilani Farha
Global Director, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Housing (June 2014 – April 2020)
The Shift was founded by Leilani Farha and Julieta Perucca in May 2020, in partnership with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and United Cities and Local Government. Leilani, a lawyer and former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing, founded The Shift out of a conviction that grew impossible to ignore: that the people making housing policy and the people suffering its consequences were living in entirely different realities.
She understands home not as a policy category or financial asset but as the foundation from which people build stable, dignified lives, and that understanding is what drives The Shift’s work. Julieta brings deep expertise in international human rights law and has been central to The Shift’s work since its founding. Together, they lead an organization built to end the housing crisis by restoring the true purpose of home.
Julieta Perucca
A law graduate from the University of Maastricht, with a degree in International and European Law, and a Political Science degree from the University of Ottawa, Julieta is an experienced researcher and human rights activist.
She has been working alongside Leilani Farha for the last four years conducting missions, assisting with thematic and country reports, as well as helping to launch The Shift. She has been expertly trained in the area of the right to housing and as Deputy Director, she facilitates engagement with The Shift network.
Julieta leads the work on housing and climate change for The Shift.
Sam Freeman
Sam is a human rights researcher with a degree in Law from Manchester Metropolitan University and a Master’s in International Humanitarian and Security Law from the University of Ottawa.
During his Master’s he specialised in human rights within the United Nations framework and on increasing accountability in post-conflict justice processes.
He has spent a number of years working with the special procedures of the United Nations Human Rights Council, undertaking research and assisting in the writing of thematic reports and communications for the mandates of both the Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing and the Special Rapporteur on the rights to safe water and sanitation.
Marta Ribera Carbó
Marta is a human rights advocate with experience in policy analysis, research, project management, and advocacy in the field of business and human rights.
She focuses on housing, climate, and labor rights, and has experience within the Catalan, Spanish, EU, and United Nations frameworks.
She is passionate about increased accountability and regulations for transnational private actors regarding human rights violations. Marta is a Law and Economics graduate at Universitat Pompeu Fabra, and holds a research master’s in Sociology and Demography from UPF and a Master’s in Law Practice from Universitat Oberta de Catalunya.
Kirsten McRae
Kirsten is a communications professional with a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy and a B.A. in journalism from Howard University.
After leaving the advertising industry, Kirsten discovered her love of international relations and public policy during an extended period overseas.
During her Master’s she specialized in government and development in East and Southeast Asia, as well as the use of technology to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Emma Reckzin
Emma has a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Advertising from Humber College and a diploma in Executive Office Administration from Algonquin College.
Emma’s passion for administration and organization, as well as her background in customer service and experiential marketing make her a fantastic addition to The Shift team.
Latonya Ludford
Latonya is an Urban Innovation graduate from the University of Toronto, with a degree in Political Science and a Certificate in Global Perspectives.
She is passionate about using innovation in urban policies to make cities more equitable and socially sustainable.
Latonya’s love for urban policy, international politics and social sustainability led her to the role of a researcher in public policy where she primarily focused on local human rights accountability mechanisms of human rights cities in North America and abroad.
