A CHAT WITH COMMISSIONER KEENE

Elm City Communities and 360 Management provide rental assistance to over 6,000 households in New Haven through project-based affordable housing and vouchers. But supply is limited, and many households remain on the waiting list. It’s part of a national trend: Only 20% of eligible Americans receive rental assistance.

Commissioner Danya Keene and her team at Yale’s Housing and Health Equity Lab are documenting the negative toll this takes on our communities. Unsurprisingly, their research shows that while families wait for the housing they desperately need, their health suffers.

One recent study used national survey data to compare individuals receiving HUD rental assistance to those who were not receiving it at the time of the survey, but went on to a few years later — in other words, a waitlist group. They found that the group receiving assistance was less likely to have uncontrolled diabetes or be food insecure. Other New Haven-based survey research concluded that individuals on housing authority waitlists reported worse self-rated health and housing conditions.

Together, Commissioner Keene and her colleagues have interviewed many struggling waitlist residents. The experiences they captured highlight the many ways that housing insecurity wears on the body: When rent is too high, people are forced to choose between healthy food, medication and housing. When households are facing eviction or are one small emergency away from falling behind on rent, they lose sleep, suffer from stress and neglect health routines. When housing is too expensive, renters often settle for living conditions with hazards like mold, lead paint and pests.

Commissioner Keene’s work also examines other aspects of housing policy that may affect health, like eviction prevention and emergency rental assistance. All of her findings point to the importance of increasing resources and reducing wait times for rental assistance.

The bottom line? Investments in access to stable, secure and quality housing are investments in health.