Human Rights Day 2025: “Our Everyday Essentials”

A Just Living Recovery Perspective

Each year on December 10, the world observes Human Rights Day, commemorating the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948—a bold promise that every person deserves freedom, security, and dignity.

This year’s global theme, “Our Everyday Essentials,” reminds us that human rights aren’t abstract ideas. They’re the simple, daily things that sustain life, such as the right to a safe home, access to nutritious food, reliable healthcare, personal safety, a sense of belonging, and hope for the future.

At Just Living Recovery (JLR), we believe that recovery is one of life’s most essential rights. That means ensuring everyone has access to the essentials: safe housing, a supportive community, mental health support, and the security of being included, not forgotten.

Home Is a Human Right

For many people in recovery, the path to healing begins with something as basic as a place to rest without fear. Stable, supportive housing isn’t a privilege — it’s a foundation for survival.

At Just Living Recovery, we strive to ensure that no one is left behind due to their past, identity, or circumstances. When we help someone find a safe place to live, we’re not just offering shelter — we’re restoring dignity, stability, and hope.

Safety and Inclusion Matter

Everyone deserves to feel safe — in their homes, in their neighborhoods, and in their own skin.

Too often, people in recovery — especially those who are LGBTQ+, BIPOC, or formerly incarcerated — face discrimination that undermines their right to exist freely.

Just Living Recovery stands firmly for safety, inclusion, and respect as everyday essentials. We foster communities where diversity is celebrated and healing is supported, without judgment or shame.

Recovery Is a Human Right

Human rights and recovery share a common truth: both depend on community. Recovery doesn’t happen in isolation — it happens when people have access to healthcare, housing, opportunity, and compassion.

At JLR, we see recovery as more than treatment — it’s a pathway to reclaiming your life and your rights.

When someone receives the support they need — food on the table, a warm bed, a caring voice that says “you belong” — that’s human rights in action.