Housing & Public Health

“Housing and health systems need to work together. Public housing authorities (PHAs) are significant providers of housing to those in need, offering the health sector scale and expertise. Little was known about how PHAs worked with the health sector writ large. With a national survey, we found that PHAs across the country are engaged in a wide range of partnerships with different health organizations that address various target populations and health priorities. Barriers to housing-health collaboration, such as funding and staffing capacity, can be overcome with cross-system partnerships that seek to address these needs.”

“Public health and housing professionals know that the health impacts of housing decisions can last decades, affecting residents over their lifetimes and across generations. Health impact assessments (HIAs) provide an opportunity for these sectors to build strong partnerships dedicated to the shared goal of ensuring that housing projects, policies, and programs promote the best possible health and quality of life for residents. This brief provides public health professionals with information about major housing programs and policies, identifies key decision-makers, and discusses how public health professionals can effectively integrate health into housing decisions.”

“For decades, housing professionals, public health officials, and city leaders have recognized the link between people’s homes and their health and well-being. This study examines emerging interventions that integrate housing and health services for low-income people, with a focus on interventions where health care organizations have taken a significant leadership role. Our research pairs over 30 expert interviews with six in-depth case studies to paint a detailed picture of emerging strategies and their potential to be sustained, expanded, and replicated elsewhere. They are all rooted in an idea that is gaining traction among health care leaders across the country: investing in housing is investing in health.”

“Throughout the country, health systems and governmental agencies are partnering with social service providers and other cross-sector organizations to address the social determinants of health impacting their communities. Capitalizing on this national momentum, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) brought together public, private, and nonprofit leaders on Nov. 29-30, 2016 to explore how they could work together to improve health and housing outcomes. This resource guide synthesizes the lessons learned from the 2016 convening and provides public health leaders with strategies to build effective partnerships.”

“Cities nationwide are experiencing housing-related challenges, with a growing share of the population unable to afford to rent or own a home. Residents struggle to afford not just a place to live, but a stable home that supports their health and well-being. This paper explores the factors that contribute to affordable housing and health, including examples of successful strategies used by cities to generate and preserve healthy and affordable housing.”

“Every day, decision-makers in the housing sector have the chance to consider health in their policies, programs, and projects to help mitigate pressing public health problems that take a massive toll on Americans’ quality of life and substantially increase health care costs for taxpayers. Understanding how to integrate public health considerations into housing decisions can positively impact the health of residents and ensure strong financial stewardship of public funds. This report begins by describing the connections between housing and health and then provides a systematic review of housing decisions that have been the subject of past HIAs. Next it provides guidance for conducting future housing HIAs. Finally, it provides a tutorial on the major housing programs as a means of helping public health professionals understand the links between housing programs and public health.”

“Access to safe, quality, affordable housing - and the supports necessary to maintain that housing - constitute one of the most basic and powerful social determinants of health. In particular, for individuals and families trapped in a cycle of crisis and housing instability due to extreme poverty, trauma, violence, mental illness, addiction or other chronic health conditions, housing can entirely dictate their health and health trajectory. For these populations, housing is a necessary precursor of health. Supportive Housing is increasingly recognized as a cost-effective health intervention for homeless and other extremely vulnerable populations.”

“Housing First programs address chronic homelessness by providing rapid access to permanent housing, without a pre-condition of treatment, along with ongoing support services such as crisis intervention, needs assessment, and case management. A form of permanent supportive housing, the program usually serves individuals who are chronically homeless and have persistent mental illness or problems with substance abuse and addiction. This webpage lists the beneficial outcomes of Housing First, as well as information on evidence of effectiveness and resources on implementation.”

“The report first explores the way in which housing can affect the lives and success of individuals, and how the effect varies for different segments of the population. The report then investigates the obstacles to housing functioning as a hub, from the difficulties of developing good data on the impact of housing-based strategies to shortcomings in the business models available for these strategies. Finally, we lay out a set of recommendations designed to strengthen the role of housing as a social determinant for health and success.”

Lauren Taylor, author of the American Health Care Paradox, writes about how “the impact of housing on health is now being widely considered by policy makers. Housing is one of the best-researched social determinants of health, and selected housing interventions for low-income people have been found to improve health outcomes and decrease health care costs. As a result, many health care systems, payers, and government entities are seeking to better understand the totality of the health and housing literature to determine where they might intervene effectively.”

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