Housing has been an important subject of deliberation in national and international forums for a few decades. UN-Habitat found that about three billion people or about 40 percent of the world’s population would need proper housing by 2030. In simple terms, housing stands for providing a shelter that would ensure one’s safety and support the activities of daily living. The housing market in cities has been unable to cope with the rapid influx of people due to urbanization. This has, in turn, resulted in a rise in the number of street dwellers, slums, informal settlements, and shadow rental markets, leading to an increasing number of people living in poor conditions. This means that not all are without a house or a shelter, but the legal documents and living standards of most of the households do not comply with the formal housing system.

The housing issue that India is facing is not just about providing shelter to the homeless but about how housing policies could enable the development of the households socially and economically. This study aims to seek more clarity on the issues and challenges faced by the urban housing sector by reviewing the various policies and the role of different stakeholders involved. According to the census taken in each state, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar are in dire need of housing facilities. Especially, Kerala has around two lakh homeless people. In India, informal settlements rose dramatically after 1947 due to the industrialization in post-Independent India. Dense settlements of laborers sprouted around mills and factories. This grew gradually with more migrants joining the settlements.