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Daniels GE, Morton MH. COVID-19 Recession: Young Adult Food Insecurity, Racial Disparities, and Correlates. J Adolesc Health 2023; 72:237-245. [PMID: 36369115 PMCID: PMC9641575 DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2022.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Revised: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE The COVID-19 pandemic has inflicted devastating health, social, and economic effects globally. This study examines the experiences of young adults in the United States with respect to food insecurity during the pandemic and factors associated with higher and lower risk for young adult food insecurity. METHODS Using the U.S. Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey, a nationally representative survey collecting information on people's experiences throughout the pandemic, we analyzed prevalence of, and factors associated with young adult food insecurity during the pandemic. RESULTS Overall, 13% of young adults aged 18-25 years reported often or sometimes not having enough to eat in the last 7 days at a given time during pandemic, on average, with Black and Hispanic young people facing higher rates of food insecurity (22% and 15%, respectively) than White non-Hispanic peers (11%). Over the observed pandemic period, we find a decline in food insecurity among young adults corresponding with economic policy actions. Factors associated with a higher risk of food insecurity include lower household income, expected job loss, renting as opposed to owning housing, behind on rent or mortgage payment, lack of confidence in an ability to pay next month's rent or mortgage, delayed medical care, and feeling worried or depressed. DISCUSSION Our analyses reveal alarming levels of food insecurity among young adults, especially Black and Hispanic young people. Policy actions should include multifaceted and sustained interventions with a focus on supporting historically disenfranchised youth and their communities. These should prevent and address food and housing insecurity and mental health needs holistically.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Matthew H. Morton
- Research Fellow, Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois,Address correspondence to: Matthew H. Morton, D.Phil., Research Fellow, Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, 1313 East 60th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637
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2
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What is known about mental health and US federal housing subsidy programs? A scoping review. SSM - MENTAL HEALTH 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmmh.2022.100155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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3
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Kim H, Schmidt NM, Osypuk TL, Thyden N, Rehkopf D. Effects of Housing Vouchers on the Long-Term Exposure to Neighborhood Opportunity among Low-Income Families: The Moving to Opportunity Experiment. HOUSING STUDIES 2022; 38:128-151. [PMID: 36861113 PMCID: PMC9970262 DOI: 10.1080/02673037.2022.2112154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Revised: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Tenant-based rental assistance has received much attention as a tool to ameliorate American poverty and income segregation. We examined whether a tenant-based voucher program improves long-term exposure to neighborhood opportunity overall and across multiple domains-social/economic, educational, and health/environmental-among low-income families with children. We used data from the Moving to Opportunity (MTO) experiment (1994-2010) with a 10- to 15-year follow-up period and used an innovative and multidimensional measure of neighborhood opportunities for children. Compared with controls in public housing, MTO voucher recipients experienced improvement in neighborhood opportunity overall and across domains during the entire study period, with a larger treatment effect for families in the MTO voucher group who received supplementary housing counseling, than the Section 8 voucher group. Our results also suggests that effects of housing vouchers on neighborhood opportunity may not be uniform across subgroups. Results from model-based recursive partitioning for neighborhood opportunity identified several potential effect modifiers for housing vouchers, including study sites, health and developmental problems of household members, and having vehicle access.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiyun Kim
- Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Nicole M Schmidt
- Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Theresa L Osypuk
- Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Naomi Thyden
- Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - David Rehkopf
- Division of General Medical Disciplines, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
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Kim H, Burgard SA. Housing instability and mental health among renters in the michigan recession and recovery study. Public Health 2022; 209:30-35. [PMID: 35780516 PMCID: PMC10470256 DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2022.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To examine whether housing instability-inclusive of eviction, homelessness, moving in with others, moving for cost reasons, or frequent moves-is associated with mental health among renters in the aftermath of the Great Recession of 2007-09. STUDY DESIGN A panel survey study. METHODS We used data from the Michigan Recession and Recovery Study (2009-10, 2011 and 2013), a population-representative sample of working-aged adults, and logistic regression with propensity score weights to examine the association between housing instability over a year and a half and anxiety attack or depression symptoms at follow-up. RESULTS Respondents with any housing instability were 14 percentage points more likely to have had a recent anxiety attack, and those who had moved for cost reasons were 16 percentage points more likely. Respondents who experienced eviction were significantly more likely to meet criteria for major or minor depression at follow-up, by 13 percentage points. CONCLUSIONS Prior evidence of an association between housing instability and mental health is supported by these findings, which are robust to potential confounders, including financial and life shocks, housing quality, and neighborhood poverty concentration.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Kim
- Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
| | - S A Burgard
- Department of Sociology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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Denary W, Fenelon A, Schlesinger P, Purtle J, Blankenship KM, Keene DE. Does rental assistance improve mental health? Insights from a longitudinal cohort study. Soc Sci Med 2021; 282:114100. [PMID: 34144434 PMCID: PMC8299474 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Revised: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Almost half of renters in the United States are rent-burdened, meaning that they pay more than 30% of their income toward housing costs. Rental assistance through programs administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, alleviates these financial strains for around 5 million households. However, due to budgetary constraints, fewer than one in four eligible households actually receive this assistance and waitlists average two years nationally. Using longitudinal data from a cohort of 400 low-income adults living in New Haven, CT, this paper investigates how access to rental assistance affects mental health through two analytical methods that address selection into rental assistance. First, we performed a cross-sectional analysis to identify how psychological distress differs among those receiving and those on a waitlist for rental assistance. Second, we used a within-person fixed-effects analysis to compare changes in individuals following entry into rental assistance. We find that those receiving rental assistance report significantly less psychological distress than those on waiting lists and that transitions into rental assistance are associated with statistically non-significant decreases in psychological distress. Our findings suggest that expanding rental assistance may be one potential step toward improving the mental health of low-income individuals in the United States.
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Affiliation(s)
- Whitney Denary
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA.
| | - Andrew Fenelon
- School of Public Policy and Department of Sociology and Criminology, Penn State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Penelope Schlesinger
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Jonathan Purtle
- Department of Health Management and Policy, Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Danya E Keene
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
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Schapiro R, Blankenship K, Rosenberg A, Keene D. The Effects of Rental Assistance on Housing Stability, Quality, Autonomy, and Affordability. HOUSING POLICY DEBATE 2021; 32:456-472. [PMID: 35685650 PMCID: PMC9173361 DOI: 10.1080/10511482.2020.1846067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 10/31/2020] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Federal rental assistance is an important source of affordable housing for low income households, given a growing and severe affordable housing crisis. However, few studies have examined the extent to which rental assistance may improve housing access. This paper examines associations between rental assistance receipt and four dimensions of housing: quality, stability, autonomy and affordability. We draw on data from a longitudinal cohort study of low-income adults in New Haven, Connecticut and use Generalized Estimating Equations to examine associations between rental assistance receipt and housing measures. We find that participants receiving rental assistance had lower odds of reporting housing instability, low quality housing, lack of autonomy related to housing, and some measures of housing unaffordability compared to those not receiving assistance. The large and highly significant effects remain after adjusting for demographic variables and factors that can impact access to rental assistance.
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Kim H. Failing the Least Advantaged: An Unintended Consequence of Local Implementation of the Housing Choice Voucher Program. HOUSING POLICY DEBATE 2020; 32:369-385. [PMID: 35400983 PMCID: PMC8993032 DOI: 10.1080/10511482.2020.1834429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 10/06/2020] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
While scholars have acknowledged that shrinking federal resources for low-income housing programs increase economic inequality across U.S. society as a whole, the question of how the allocation of these resources affects inequality among the poor has received little attention. Using a mixed methods approach, this study examines local administrative practices of distributing scare housing resources and the potential redistributive effects of those choices. Analyses of administrative and qualitative data collected from local housing agencies suggest that local administrative practices of managing a waitlist disadvantage residentially unstable applicants. Juxtaposing this finding with results from the Survey of Income and Program Participation suggests that among those who are income-eligible for program participation, poorer individuals have a greater likelihood of experiencing residential instability, thus compounding their disadvantage in the competition for a housing voucher.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiyun Kim
- Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota
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8
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Lundberg I, Gold SL, Donnelly L, Brooks-Gunn J, McLanahan SS. Government Assistance Protects Low-Income Families from Eviction. JOURNAL OF POLICY ANALYSIS AND MANAGEMENT : [THE JOURNAL OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR PUBLIC POLICY ANALYSIS AND MANAGEMENT] 2020; 40:107-127. [PMID: 33814669 PMCID: PMC8011571 DOI: 10.1002/pam.22234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
A lack of affordable housing is a pressing issue for many low-income American families and can lead to eviction from their homes. Housing assistance programs to address this problem include public housing and other assistance, including vouchers, through which a government agency offsets the cost of private market housing. This paper assesses whether the receipt of either category of assistance reduces the probability that a family will be evicted from their home in the subsequent six years. Because no randomized trial has assessed these effects, we use observational data and formalize the conditions under which a causal interpretation is warranted. Families living in public housing experience less eviction conditional on pre-treatment variables. We argue that this evidence points toward a causal conclusion that assistance, particularly public housing, protects families from eviction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian Lundberg
- Department of Sociology, Princeton University
- Office of Population Research, Princeton University
| | - Sarah L. Gold
- Office of Population Research, Princeton University
- Center for Research on Child Wellbeing, Princeton University
| | | | - Jeanne Brooks-Gunn
- Teachers College and College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University
| | - Sara S. McLanahan
- Department of Sociology, Princeton University
- Office of Population Research, Princeton University
- Center for Research on Child Wellbeing, Princeton University
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Lim S, Liu SYS, Jacobson MH, Poirot E, Crossa A, Locke S, Brite J, Hamby E, Bailey Z, Farquhar S. Housing stability and diabetes among people living in New York city public housing. SSM Popul Health 2020; 11:100605. [PMID: 32551356 PMCID: PMC7287274 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2020.100605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2020] [Revised: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Public housing provides affordable housing and, potentially, housing stability for low-income families. Housing stability may be associated with lower incidence or prevalence and better management of a range of health conditions through many mechanisms. We aimed to test the hypotheses that public housing residency is associated with both housing stability and reduced risk of diabetes incidence, and the relationship between public housing and diabetes risk varies by levels of housing stability. Using 2004-16 World Trade Center Health Registry data, we compared outcomes (housing stability measured by sequence analysis of addresses, self-reported diabetes diagnoses) between 730 New York City public housing residents without prevalent diabetes at baseline and 730 propensity score-matched non-public housing residents. Sequence analysis found 3 mobility patterns among all 1460 enrollees, including stable housing (65%), limited mobility (27%), and unstable housing patterns (8%). Public housing residency was associated with stable housing over 12 years. Diabetes risk was not associated with public housing residency; however, among those experiencing housing instability, a higher risk of diabetes was found among public housing versus non-public housing residents. Of those stably housed, the association remained insignificant. These findings provide important evidence for a health benefit of public housing via housing stability among people living in public housing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sungwoo Lim
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Queens, NY, USA
| | | | | | | | - Aldo Crossa
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Queens, NY, USA
| | - Sean Locke
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Queens, NY, USA
| | - Jennifer Brite
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Queens, NY, USA
| | - Elizabeth Hamby
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Queens, NY, USA
| | - Zinzi Bailey
- University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
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Kalousová L, Evangelist M. Rent Assistance and Health: Findings from Detroit. HOUSING STUDIES 2018; 34:111-141. [PMID: 31787796 PMCID: PMC6884334 DOI: 10.1080/02673037.2018.1441977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2017] [Accepted: 01/31/2018] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
This study assesses the relationship between rent assistance and health in a longitudinal, population-representative sample collected in the Detroit metro area. Previous research has found that rent assistance recipients are less healthy than otherwise similar non-recipients in the cross-section, but the evidence about the effects of rent assistance on health in the long run is ambiguous. Our study uses panel survey data to compare the health of recipients and eligible non-recipients at the study's onset and four years later at follow-up with respect to an extensive set of physical, mental, and behavioral health outcomes. Our results demonstrate that rent assistance recipients are in worse overall health than non-recipients, but also provide suggestive evidence that the program may buffer health declines in the medium term. However, the positive buffering effects may be erased in the long run, as we simultaneously observed an increase in smoking among rent assistance recipients. Our study shows that the current shortage of rent assistance may have implications for population health.
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