Housing and health

About this project

Community voice recognizes the experiences of people most affected by policies or programs and actively engages them as experts. Uplifting the voices of people with lived experience provides an important perspective and valuable insight on the needs, concerns, goals and aspirations of the community.

Advancing equity requires extending and sharing power with community members and HPIO is grateful to the people who shared their voices and contributed to this project. 

Overview

While housing is a foundational driver of health, not everyone has equal access to housing. Stable and safe housing influences access to jobs, healthy food, quality healthcare and educational opportunities and reduces stress. Housing is especially important during pregnancy and for families with young children, impacting maternal, child and family well-being.

This fact sheet uplifts experiences with two programs — Healthy Beginnings at Home (HBAH) and Families Flourish — with emerging evidence of improving housing stability and maternal, child and family health and well-being.

The fact sheet explores the following themes that arose through thematic analysis of program participant and staff interviews:

• Housing access improves physical and mental health
• Housing location matters for well-being
• Social support, resources and time build long-term stability
• Housing programs can provide opportunities for empowerment and advocacy

Past progress demonstrates that strong leadership, bipartisan cooperation, sustained investment, coordinated advocacy and local collaboration can move Ohio toward better health and equity. Together, Ohioans can work to achieve measurable outcomes and make every community a safe and healthy place for babies and families to thrive. State and local policymakers can consider the recommendations prioritized in HPIO’s Social Drivers of Infant Mortality: Housing Action Guide.