Affordability and Stability
Affordability and stability in housing are about whether a person can pay for their home and keep up with the payments. Usually, housing is seen as affordable if it costs 30% or less of what a household earns.[,] When people can afford their homes, they feel more in control of where they live. This can reduce stress and improve mental health. Being able to afford housing is also linked to better health outcomes and behaviors, like being able to buy medicine and follow health advice. Kids in affordable homes are more likely to be at a healthy weight and hit important growth stages.[] Lack of access to affordable housing limits people’s choices about where and how they live. This may result in housing instability, substandard living conditions, and negative health outcomes. Additional health behaviors and outcomes associated with unstable housing include:[]
- Lack of access to primary care provider
- Malnourishment
- Developmental delays among
- Use of illicit drugs among adolescents
- Negative mental health
Housing Availability and Growth
How many homes are being built in your community is key to affordability. Across the Commonwealth, housing availability is limited. In other words, the supply of housing is not keeping up with the demand of households that need housing.[]
[H10] Leopold, J., Getsinger, L., Blumenthal, P., Abazajian, K., Jordan, R. (2015). The Housing Affordability Gap for Extremely Low-Income Renters in 2013. The Urban Institute. https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/54106/2000260-The-Housing-Affordability-Gap-for-Extremely-Low-Income-Renters-2013.pdf
[H4] Schwartz, M., Wilson, E. Who Can Afford To Live in a Home?: A look at data from the 2006 American Community Survey. U.S. Census Bureau. https://paa2008.populationassociation.org/abstracts/81324
[H5] Affordable Housing. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. https://www.hud.gov/
[H6] Maqbool, N., Viveiros, J., Ault, M. (2015). The Impacts of Affordable Housing on Health: A Research Summary. Center for Housing Policy. https://nhc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/The-Impacts-of-Affordable-Housing-on-Health-A-Research-Summary.pdf