Giving Compass' Take:

• Corianne Scally explains research on the connection between public housing and asthma that suggest HUD assistance recipients fare worse than their poor peers who did not receive public housing. 

• How can HUD balance the need to maximize housing with the need for healthy housing?

• Read nine rules for better housing policy. 

More and more, housing practitioners and health care providers are connecting the dots between people’s health and their home. Housing quality can determine a person’s exposure to allergens and health hazards. This is particularly true for asthma, where indoor triggers, such as mold, pests, and tobacco smoke, can induce symptoms and may even influence the development of chronic lung disease.

Even when taking into account socioeconomic and demographic characteristics and differences in exposure to indoor asthma triggers, assisted renters are more likely to have a school-age child with asthma in their household than other low-income unassisted renters.

Although many people are vulnerable to asthma, certain groups seem to suffer more, including low-income households, renters, and children. A growing body of evidence shows that the overall health of people receiving rental assistance is worse than other low-income renters not receiving assistance.

Read the full article about the connection between HUD and asthma by Corianne Scally at Urban Institute.