On September 16, Children’s HealthWatch, in collaboration with Opportunity Starts at Home, developed a two-part policy brief series examining housing as a foundation for child health and well-being. The first brief explores how housing instability and eviction affect children from pregnancy through young adulthood, deepen health inequities, and generate avoidable costs while outlining evidence-based federal solutions to help families remain stably housed. The second examines how proposed cuts, eligibility restrictions, work reporting requirements, time limits, and weakened tenant protections could further destabilize families and harm children’s health. Together, the briefs make the case for sustained federal investment in safe, stable, and affordable housing.

“Safe, stable, and affordable housing is one of the most fundamental building blocks of a healthy childhood. These briefs highlight the powerful connection between housing stability and children’s health and well-being, and the evidence-based supports that can help children thrive,” said Megan Sandel, MD, MPH, Co-Lead Principal Investigator of Children’s HealthWatch. “At a time when millions of families are navigating high housing costs and instability, we must safeguard and strengthen the policies and programs that work to help ensure that every child has a safe and stable place to live and grow.”

Rooted in substantial research on the topic, the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign and Children’s HealthWatch support solutions that would reduce housing instability and homelessness including those that:

• Bridge the gap between rents and income so every low-income household can access the support they need to thrive in the community of their choice. 
• Increase the supply of housing affordable, available, and accessible to low-income households.
• Stabilize households by providing emergency rental assistance to avert housing instability and homelessness. 

These briefs provide further evidence of the policies elected officials can advance to prevent eviction and homelessness. Paired with significant investments in affordable, equitable housing programs, bold legislation is urgently needed to respond to the housing crisis and improve health over a lifetime.

“At the coalition, evidence-based solutions are at the center of our policy agenda. These policy briefs further demonstrate that to improve health outcomes, we must also address the housing crisis,” said Renee M. Willis, President and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition. “Every day, children are exposed to unhealthy housing conditions that can affect their health and well-being throughout their lifetime. These briefs share clear, actionable solutions to ensure that every child has the opportunity to thrive with access to safe and affordable housing.”

“For nearly a decade, housing and health advocates have been highlighting the deep connections between our issues and making the case that our solutions must be intersectional through the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign,” said Chantelle Wilkinson, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Campaigns at the National Low Income Housing Coalition.” These excellent policy briefs, spearheaded by Children’s HealthWatch, not only bring together research behind our housing solutions, but also underscore that need for all of us to work together to advance them.”

Read the policy briefs here.