A Vision of Health Equity in Housing

Abstract

This report is the first in a series of reports exploring the role of law in housing equity and innovative uses of law to improve health equity through housing. The reports are based on extensive literature scans and semi-structured interviews with people who are taking action in housing policy and practice. The full series includes: Report I: A Vision of Health Equity in Housing; Report II: Legal Levers for Health Equity in Housing: A Systems Approach; Report III: Health Equity in Housing: Evidence and Evidence Gaps; Report IV: Creative People and Places Building Health Equity in Housing; Report V: Governing Health Equity in Housing; and Report VI: Health Equity through Housing: A Blueprint for Systematic Legal Action. This report describes the strong relationship between housing, neighborhood and health, and reviews old and new evidence about health, health equity and housing to make the case for “health equity in housing” as a top goal of the movement to create a Culture of Health in America. Achieving health equity in housing means that a substantial proportion of people living in the United States will have the option to live in racially and socio-economically mixed communities where all residents benefit from safe and affordable houses, good schools, transportation, parks and recreational facilities, and economic opportunities.