Health Impact Assessment and Housing

Guidance for health and housing professionals

Housing policy plays a big role in public heath outcomes© Jordan Siemens/Getty Images

The housing sector is an important partner for promoting and conducting health impact assessments.

There is a well-established link between housing and health (see, for example, reports by the U.S. Surgeon General, the Department of Housing and Urban Development , the World Health Organization, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation). Policy decisions about the location, quality, and affordability of housing have the ability to affect residents’ health and safety, which makes the housing sector an important partner for promoting and conducting health impact assessments (HIAs).

Recently, the Health Impact Project—a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts—joined with the National Center for Healthy Housing and the National Housing Conference to create a set of issue briefs, titled Health Impact Assessment and Housing,  that highlight ways to integrate the consideration of health into housing policy and projects through the use of HIAs:

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Research has consistently demonstrated a strong link between housing and health
Research has consistently demonstrated a strong link between housing and health
Data Visualization

The Relationship Between Housing and Health

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Data Visualization

The Relationship Between Housing and Health

Research has consistently demonstrated a strong link between housing and health, with factors generally falling into four categories: housing quality, affordability, location, and social and community attributes.

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Housing and public health sectors have a long history of working together
Housing and public health sectors have a long history of working together
Issue Brief

Guidance for Housing Professionals

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Issue Brief

The housing and public health sectors have a long history of working together to protect and promote health. Beginning in the late 19th century, efforts to eradicate infectious diseases, including typhoid, cholera, and tuberculosis, resulted in policies and programs, such as building codes and housing inspection systems, that have been critical in improving housing quality and preventing disease for more than 100 years.

Housing policy has a big impact on public health.
Housing policy has a big impact on public health.
Issue Brief

Guidance for the Public Health Sector

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Issue Brief

Many of the nation’s most pressing public health problems, such as asthma, depression, diabetes, and obesity, are influenced by the places where people live, work, and play.

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