The Story of Place: Housing and Health Shelby Mertes Chief Policy - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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The Story of Place: Housing and Health Shelby Mertes Chief Policy - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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The Story of Place: Housing and Health Shelby Mertes Chief Policy Analyst Partnership for Strong Communities Housing and Land Use for a Healthy Public: Planning, Design and Development to Promote Health Equity April 25, 2012 The Lyceum

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The Story of Place: Housing and Health

Shelby Mertes

Chief Policy Analyst Partnership for Strong Communities Housing and Land Use for a Healthy Public: Planning, Design and Development to Promote Health Equity

April 25, 2012 The Lyceum Hartford, CT

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CT is 47th in units built per capita: 6th highest rents, 8th highest ownership costs 26% of renters earn below 50% Area Median Income, and spend more than 50% of income on rent

(affordable = 30% of income on housing)

$23.58 / hour housing wage (to afford typical 2BR apartment)

Connecticut housing is expensive

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Connecticut housing is expensive

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Paying too much for housing means not enough for…

Connecticut housing is expensive

Health care – insurance, copays, etc. Prescriptions Nutritious (or enough) food Heating/cooling Clothes Decent housing Housing is typically the largest expense in a household budget.

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Parents work more to pay for housing. Less time spent with kids. Potential for…

Connecticut housing is expensive

Quick meals, snacks More TV Poorer school performance Substance abuse Sexual activity Gangs, violence

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Housing instability…

Connecticut housing is expensive

Eviction Foreclosure Frequent moves Overcrowding Couch surfing Hotbedding

  • Communicable disease.
  • Lack of privacy.

Emotional stress. Domestic conflict. Exhaustion. School disruption.

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Homelessness…

Connecticut housing is expensive

Small health problems worsen – exposure, stress, poor sleep. Followup care difficult – prescriptions, medical equipment. EXPENSIVE!!

  • Worse health
  • Emergency rooms as primary care
  • Followup/coordination difficult
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Connecticut housing is expensive

  • Homeless shelters at 100% of capacity for the last three years.

Often over capacity.

  • Family homelessness increased 15% between 2010 and 2011.
  • Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP)

– funded by ARRA stimulus –

served 2,200 households since 2009, but 12,600 sought assistance.

Homelessness…

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Expensive housing

impact on place

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Expensive housing impact on place Opportunity Mapping:

Education Quality and Opportunity Economic Health & Transportation Neighborhood Stability

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Expensive housing impact on place

Uneven playing field

= 500 nonwhites

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Expensive housing impact on place A de-facto apartheid…

In more affluent communities:

  • Housing more expensive
  • Higher quality housing
  • Few affordable housing units
  • Low-density zoning
  • High-resource/low-poverty schools
  • Less crime
  • More opportunities

In poorer communities:

  • Housing expensive, but less so
  • More unhealthy housing
  • More affordable housing units
  • Density
  • Overburdened schools
  • Higher crime
  • Few opportunities
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Expensive housing impact on place

Deeper concentrations

  • f poverty lead to

“hotspots” of poor health

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Expensive housing impact on place These hotspots cost millions of dollars:

  • Emergency rooms
  • Clinics, doctors
  • Burden on schools
  • Lost work time
  • Disability, underemployment
  • Homelessness
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Expensive housing impact on place Neighborhood impacts:

Low-income tenants can’t afford much rent. Landlords have little incentive to maintain apartments Some landlords lack income to afford maintenance. Low-income tenants have few choices.

Asbestos Injuries

Substandard Housing

Mold, insects: Asthma Lead

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Expensive housing impact on place Crime Assaults, drugs Few grocery Poor nutrition, stores

  • besity

Neighborhood impacts: Unsafe to play Obesity, stress

  • utside
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Expensive housing impact on place Suburban low-density zoning:

Intentions:

  • Maintain community

character

  • Limit traffic, noise, etc.
  • Protect town budget

(schools, services) Results:

  • Expensive housing
  • Lost economic
  • pportunity
  • Spread-out development
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Expensive housing impact on place Effects of spread-out development: Drive instead of walking, biking Transit inefficient Less exercise, More obesity More air pollution

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What Should We Do?

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What Should We Do?

More housing affordability in more places…

Use affordable housing programs in communities of opportunity Rent vouchers to allow choice of where to live More communities zone for higher-density, mixed-income housing

OPPORTUNITY: $500M in new state capital

  • Preserve existing affordable housing
  • Construct/rehab new affordable housing
  • Supportive housing = housing + services
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HOMEConne

  • nnecticut

ut pa participa pation…

  • n…

What Should We Do?

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What Should We Do?

More housing affordability in more places…

More communities zone for higher-density, mixed-income housing. Additional health benefits: Even better if retail, jobs, entertainment, transit mixed in. Walking, biking, transit. More exercise, less obesity. Less air pollution.

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What Should We Do?

More housing affordability in more places…

More communities zone for higher-density, mixed-income housing. Many other benefits:

  • Helps local businesses –

customers, workers nearby

  • Town efficiency – roads, services, school buses
  • Energy efficient
  • Better for climate/environment
  • Convenient – live near needs

We have allies!

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What Should We Do?

In struggling communities/neighborhoods, tap into housing demand…

Decent, moderately-priced housing WILL rent up. Attract young adults. Get them involved. Focus on tipping-point blocks/neighborhoods: A little help will attract residents, development, businesses, investment.

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What Should We Do?

In struggling communities/neighborhoods, tap into housing demand…

Placemaking:

  • Coordinated policies
  • Targeted investment
  • Make it interesting
  • Little things make big value - landscaping, signage, neighbors

Streamline regulations:

  • Quicker decisions
  • Clearer guidelines
  • Developer friendly: time is money
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What Should We Do?

Take advantage of new transit…

New Haven – Springfield Rail Hartford – New Britain Busway Stations on these lines perfect for:

  • Mixed-income neighborhoods
  • Housing density
  • Walk to transit, and much more
  • Jobs, economic growth
  • Bringing investment to struggling neighborhoods
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What Should We Do?

Take advantage of new transit…

Transit helps a household budget, freeing up money for housing, food, clothing, health care, etc. Portion of household budget spent on transportation

Average 19% Far from transit 26% Walkable to transit 9%

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What Should We Do?

Use data and mapping…

  • Understand connections between policy areas.
  • See dynamics of places.
  • Experiment.
  • Target investments:

right approach, right time, right place.

  • Set goals. Track results. Notice success.
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What Should We Do?

Work together Be persistent

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Shelby Mertes

Chief Policy Analyst Partnership for Strong Communities at The Lyceum 227 Lawrence Street Hartford, CT 06106

shelby@pschousing.org 860.244.0066

www.pschousing.org