Health and community well-being are highly dependent upon stable, affordable housing.
Crisis: California is in the midst of a housing crisis, marked by sky-high rates of homelessness and unaffordable home prices. More than 150,000 people are homeless in California on any given night, and even more struggle to afford rent, with nearly half of all renters spending more than a third of their income on housing. This public health crisis disproportionately affects underserved populations, making precarious conditions even worse for low-income families, Black and Latino communities, and urban residents.
Health Impacts: Homelessness and precarious housing can ruin your health. The lack of adequate living conditions, overcrowding, and exposure to environmental hazards tend to produce respiratory diseases such as asthma or bronchitis. Moreover, the tension and concern of being homeless lead to emotional well-being issues like anxiety, depression, or substance abuse. Not having a stable home makes it hard to get to healthcare for the routine visits that can keep people with chronic conditions from needing costly specialized care.
Solutions: This predicament needs a multi-pronged approach. Key to improving both health and homelessness has been the "Housing First" model, providing permanent housing for homeless persons sans immediate prerequisites. At the same time, public-private partnerships for affordable housing will help alleviate the housing shortage. There are other innovative solutions like community land trusts and inclusionary zoning policies that protect tenants from displacement. Lawmakers must act urgently to get more affordable homes on the market and help renters. For instance, there is a need to enhance the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and fund more Section 8 vouchers to ensure that low-income families have better access to affordable housing. Rent-control measures and tenant protections can also be implemented to avoid unfair evictions, helping to maintain housing stability. Lastly, investing in supportive housing (a model that bundles affordable housing with other services) can meet the needs of those who are most vulnerable.
Affordable, secure housing is a basic human right and an essential social element for community health. Creating a more systematic, empathetic, and substantive response to the housing crisis in California will help all communities heal and thrive. California policymakers and community leaders must come together to deliver solutions that work and ensure all Californians have a place they can call home, without any worries.
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