Housing is the beating heart of a community’s well-being, its affordability giving life to community unity, prosperity, health, and industrialization. Affordable housing provides individuals with a stable home environment, financial freedom, and access to resources for physical and emotional well-being. The long term effects beg a more widespread success positively influencing the local economy, crime rates, and community unity.
Amy, a tenant living in one of Utah Housing Preservation Fund’s units, can attest to the impact of affordable housing on her health. As a working mom, she shouldered the burden of providing for her family. An unfortunate back injury left her unable to work and eventually, she lost everything, including her home. She and her son were able to move into one of the preserved UHPF units where she regained stability and security. Her change of situation granted her financial flexibility allowing her to prioritize her health. A University of Utah study found that 11.7% of people went without necessary healthcare because they didn’t have the funds for it1. A community is built on the shoulders of its people. Much like how strengthening our muscles is important for supporting our body’s organs, strengthening the members of our community is important for supporting our community’s faculties. As we support individual community members in becoming more financially stable, they are able to prioritize their emotional and physical well-being. Resident health and welfare is of utmost priority and the mission of local legislators.
The Utah Housing Preservation Fund promotes resident health by creating up-to-date, renovated units. This includes ensuring proper ventilation, pest control, undamaged structural elements, and lead-free materials. The Fund has also provided programs to enhance quality of life, such as Project Access2. Physically, emotionally and financially supported individuals synergistically work to shape a prosperous community. Locally, this looks like less people displaced from their homes, a decrease in crime, a booming economy, increased unity, and greater academic achievement. Affordable and stable housing creates an environment for residents to thrive legally and ethically3. Researchers have found that economically stable residents are less likely to participate in criminal activities. Nationally, research shows that someone in jail is 7.5 times to 11.3 times more likely to have been homeless than somebody with no history of jail incarceration. The Urban Institute explains, “...severe housing instability, in the form of chronic homelessness, can increase a person’s risk of becoming involved with the justice system because many behaviors associated with homelessness—such as sleeping, sitting, and asking for money or resources in public spaces—have been criminalized.”4
Moreover, affordable housing allows families to allocate funds to health, education, and savings. With more disposable income created, they are also more likely to invest in goods that boost the local economy. That being said, in Utah, 40% of tenants and 17.8% of homeowners are cost-burdened5. This means that more than 30% of their income is spent on housing costs. This leaves little flexibility for spending money on goods outside of the basic means to survive. Affordable housing buildout plays a key role in creating more wiggle room for residents to spend money on things that support their physical and mental welfare, and thus, nourish the economy.
In addition, there is a strong connection between community unity and affordable housing. When residents can afford to stay in their homes, they feel secure enough to build long-term relationships with neighbors, participate in local activities, and are more likely to vote, volunteer, and invest in local businesses6. That security also serves community members well in terms of education. A study of more than 8,000 urban residential students found that for every residential move before second grade, students' math and reading scores dropped relative to their peers. Furthermore, the achievement gap was not made up over time7. Supporting community members’ education induces academic achievement, creating more value in the community as members go on to become experts in their fields.
There are many ways to reinforce a resilient and prosperous community. Supporting affordable housing expansion starts with understanding how it’s developed. Affordable housing is created primarily by virtue of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC). Developers seek out a banking partner willing to fund an affordable housing project in exchange for said credit. They then acquire properties and are required, under a deed restriction, to keep rent affordable for a specified period of time.
As residents, the most powerful way we can support affordable housing is through civic engagement. Being open to its development near you by voting for favorable zoning laws widens real estate opportunities and expedites its construction. Writing to local legislators expressing interest in creating space for affordable housing enriches their understanding of their community’s values.
In conclusion, affordable housing fuels community unity, resident health, and the local economy. It decreases the number of people displaced from their homes which, statistics show, decreases crime rates. By participating in local politics in support of favorable zoning, and understanding the process in which affordable housing is developed, residents champion the creation of a resilient community.
1. Melanie Beagley and Jeff Chapman, “The Impact of Housing on Health,” Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute The University of Utah, September 2024, https://d36oiwf74r1rap.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Housing-Health-PB-Sept2024.pdf.
2. Hanna Ridd, “From Heart Health to Holiday Magic: How Community Changes Lives at the Monaco,” UHPF Site, 2024, https://www.uhpf.org/post/from-heart-health-to-holiday-magic-how-community-changes-lives-at-the-monaco.
3. “The Impact of Affordable Housing on Crime Rates,” HomeSight.org, September 13, 2024, https://homesight.org/the-impact-of-affordable-housing-on-crime-rates/?utm_source=chatgpt.com.
4. “Breaking the Links Between Housing Instability and Jail Incarceration Through the Just Home Project,” Urban Institute, 2024, https://www.urban.org/projects/breaking-links-between-housing-instability-and-jail-incarceration-through-just-home.
5. Melanie Beagley and Jeff Chapman, “The Impact of Housing on Health,” Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute The University of Utah
6. “Housing Stability,” Neighborhood Data for Social Change, 2023, https://la.myneighborhooddata.org/2021/06/housing-stability/?utm_source=chatgpt.com.
7. Amy Brisson et al., “Impact of Affordable Housing on Families and Communities: A Review of the Evidence Base,” Enterprise, 2015, https://homeforallsmc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Impact-of-Affordable-Housing-on-Families-and-Communities.pdf.