New study connects housing affordability with health

SALT LAKE CITY — A new study finds that your ability to afford housing can affect your health.

 

The study, released by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, says that Utah’s housing crisis has been having a negative impact on public health.

“Research shows that housing affordability has both direct and indirect impacts on health outcomes,” the study said.

There are three main factors at play in this study:

1. Housing conditions
2. Neighborhood conditions
3. Housing affordability

Housing conditions

Lower-quality housing often creates risk of lead poisoning, water leaks, pest infestations, and incomplete kitchen and bathroom facilities, the study said. 

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that more than 7,100 homes in Utah don’t have adequate kitchen facilities, and over 3,200 homes don’t have adequate plumbing. 

Neighborhood conditions

The neighborhood in which a person lives in can affect their health, the study says. 

“Those resource rich neighborhoods would be those with access to jobs, grocery stories with healthy foods, and safe spaces to exercise,” Public Policy Analyst for the institute Melanie Beagley said. “We think about neighborhoods that we would be considered resource-poor and unsafe, so greater exposure to violence and other traumatic experiences, or you may see a concentration of poverty. That has both mental and physical health outcomes.” 

Housing affordability

The study found that 40% of renters and almost 18% of homeowners in Utah are “housing cost-burdened.” 9.1% of Utahns report that they are unable to pay their mortgage, rent or utility bills. 

Beagley noted that if families are spending all of their money on housing, they have little left to spend on things like health care.

The study specifically says that 11.6% of Utahns report going without medical care due to cost. 

What can be done

The study concluded that solving Utah’s housing crisis and its associated issues required “an all hands-on deck approach.”

“By addressing the state’s housing crisis,” the study said, “Utah is also investing in the health of its residents.”

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