Automobile Access

Bike Lane Access

Traffic Volume

Transportation

Diesel Particulate Matter

Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5)

Ozone

Clean Environment

Park Access

Tree Canopy

Neighborhood

Above Poverty

Employed

Per Capita Income

Economic

Census Response

Voting

Social

Insured Adults

Healthcare Access

Homeownership

Housing Habitability

Severely Cost Burdened Low-Income Homeowners

Severely Cost Burdened Low-Income Renters

Uncrowded Housing

Housing

Bachelor's Education

High School Enrollment

Preschool Enrollment

Education

Outdoor Workers

Supermarket Access

Two Parent Households

Library Access

Safe Drinking Water

Public Transit Access

Decision Support

Everyone should be able to live in a safe and habitable home. Poor quality and unstable housing quality exposes residents to toxins, mold, pests and conditions that can trigger asthma and increase risks of injuries. Housing instability, crowding and homelessness are associated with: low birth weights, depression, behavioral problems, and educational delays for children; asthma, tuberculosis, and other communicable diseases; skipped meals and medical appointments or medication; social isolation; and loss of political.

 Lack of complete kitchen facilities contributes to food insecurity making it more difficult for residents to meet their nutritional needs or cook safely. Without a kitchen, people are unable to store perishable foods like vegetables or dairy, and often purchase prepared food, which can lead to poor health outcomes. Plumbing is essential for the basic sanitation necessary to limit disease.

This indicator measures the percentage of households living in homes with basic plumbing and kitchen facilities. This indicator is a proxy for overall housing habitability.

Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative. (2012). Displacement Brief. BARHII. Retrieved from https://www.barhii.org/_files/ugd/33ca17_27bb53c628504e6d9689ebe8e2bc8287.pdf

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (2013). Models for Affordable Housing Preservation. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Retrieved from https://www.huduser.gov/portal/periodicals/em/summer13/highlight3.html

University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. (2022). Housing trust funds. The County Health Rankings & Roadmaps. Retrieved from https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/take-action-to-improve-health/what-works-for-health/strategies/housing-trust-funds#footnote_1

Krieger, J., & Higgins, D. L. (2002). Housing and health: Time again for public health action. American Journal of Public Health, 92(5), 758–768. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.92.5.758

Bird, S., & Hernández, D. (2012). Policy options for the split incentive: Increasing energy efficiency for low-income renters. Energy Policy, 48, 506-514. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2012.05.053

Neuberger, Z., Rosenbaum, D., & Dean, S. (2020, May 22). The case for boosting SNAP benefits in next major economic response package. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Retrieved from https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/the-case-for-boosting-snap-benefits-in-next-major-economic-response

University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. (2022). Fruit & vegetable incentive programs. The County Health Rankings & Roadmaps. Retrieved from https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/take-action-to-improve-health/what-works-for-health/strategies/fruit-vegetable-incentive-programs

University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. (2022). Electronic benefit transfer payment at farmers markets. The County Health Rankings & Roadmaps. Retrieved from https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/take-action-to-improve-health/what-works-for-health/strategies/electronic-benefit-transfer-payment-at-farmers-markets

Rummo, P. E., Lyerly, R., Rose, J., Malyuta, Y., Cohen, E. D., & Nunn, A. (2021). The impact of financial incentives on SNAP transactions at mobile produce markets. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 18(1), 26. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-021-01093-z

Gunders, D. (2012, August). Wasted - How America is losing up to 40 percent of its food from farm to fork to landfill. Natural Resources Defense Council. Retrieved from https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/wasted-food-IP.pdf

Popkin, S. J., Katz, B., Cunningham, M. K., Brown, K. D., Gustafson, J., & Turner, M. A. (2004, May 18). A decade of hope vi: Research findings and policy challenges. The Urban Institute. Retrieved from http://webarchive.urban.org/publications/411002.html

Responses to this indicator should be three-fold. In the short term, it is crucial to 

 for households facing food insecurity, especially for residents living in units without kitchens or other basic facilities. This is especially true in areas with 

. Some jurisdictions have already completed food security plans, and many health departments or social service agencies have plans or programs to address food insecurity. These can be valuable sources of data and additional policy recommendations.

In the longer term, jurisdictions should target poor quality housing with policies and programs to 

. Consult your jurisdiction’s Housing Element, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) data, and local homeless counts (if available) for more information about local housing conditions, partner with local community based organizations, affordable housing developers/residents, and others to identify community housing needs, and target policies and programs accordingly.

Without careful attention to retaining existing tenants and neighborhood residents, efforts to improve housing quality can have the unintended consequence of displacing those residents in most need of healthy community conditions, such as low-income households, people with disabilities, the elderly, and people of color. It is essential to pass policies to 

 well in advance of upgrading housing stock. Areas with 

 are often more vulnerable to displacement, particularly when they are in, or close to, hot real estate markets, transit, and jobs centers. While upgrading housing is essential to addressing this indicator, it can take many years.

Ensure that individuals and families have access to safe, affordable, high-quality housing during public health and climate emergencies. 

Health

Equity

Emerging

Provide Rent and Mortgage Payment Relief

Sufficient Evidence

Enact Moratoria on Evictions, Foreclosures, and Sweeps of Encampments

Convert Vacant Units into Safe Homes

Climate

Best Practice

Provide Utilities as a Public Good

Protect residents who might be forced to accept unsafe or crowded conditions or make other unhealthy tradeoffs to pay for housing, or who are at risk of being displaced.

Community Engagement and Connection

Promising

Rent Control/Stabilization Ordinances

Relocation Benefits

Emergency Rental Assistance Programs

Just Cause Eviction Ordinances

Strong Evidence

Enact Anti-Displacement Measures

Emergency Homeowner Assistance/Foreclosure Prevention Programs

In the short term, it is crucial to improve healthy food access for households facing food insecurity, especially for residents living in housing without kitchens or other basic facilities.

Healthy Food Initiatives in Food Banks

Incubator Kitchen Programs (Emerging Practice)

Home Delivered Meals or Food Box Programs 

SNAP Enrollment Efforts

EBT Incentive Programs

Nutrition and Cooking Skills Education Programs 

Community Gardens 

Food Access

SNAP Acceptance at Direct-to-Consumer Outlets

Food Recovery Programs

Preserve and improve existing housing to ensure that all residents have habitable, healthy, uncrowded housing, and that affordable housing stays affordable. Preserving housing is far less expensive than building new housing.

Policy Guide

Housing Habitability

References