A chart book recently released by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) provides new insight into the ways access to housing affects health. CBPP’s new chart book shows that housing costs have risen at higher rates than wages, that housing burdens are acutely experienced by renters of color, and that people experiencing housing instability must often choose between housing and health care. The chart book gives an overview of health and housing sector solutions as well.
According to the chart book’s authors, “partnerships between the health and housing sectors are key to helping people with low incomes obtain and maintain housing that they can afford. Neither sector has the funding, infrastructure, or expertise to deliver housing and services singlehandedly.” The authors suggest that “one way the housing and health sectors can maximize their resources and expertise is to advance unified policy goals including increased federal funding for affordable housing (especially vouchers targeted for people with the lowest incomes) and increased Medicaid coverage (adopting the ACA’s Medicaid expansion and expanding optional coverage of housing-related services).”
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is a founding partner and Steering Committee member of the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign.
Access the chart book here.