There is a complex connection between access to housing and having a substance use disorder or a mental health condition, which are often co-occurring conditions. As NAMI describes, “Access to affordable housing is a critical social determinant of health, and a person’s access to housing can affect — and is affected by — mental health.”
By strengthening the full housing continuum and ensuring that individuals have the resources they need to remain stably housed, policymakers and communities can promote recovery, improve quality of life, and build a more equitable system of care. Mental health and recovery advocates can and should all play a critical role in helping unhoused and housing insecure people obtain the housing they need and deserve.
