Creating Conditions to Improve Housing Policy For Healthier Families

At a Glance

This project, led by Community Advocates, Inc., aimed to improve health and reduce the inequities within Wisconsin that are driven and reinforced by poor housing conditions. In Milwaukee, over 28,000 rental units were deemed moderately to severely inadequate to live in and nearly 16,000 adults and children face eviction each year. Disparities exist as women and people of color are over 50 percent more likely to be evicted than men or white individuals. The lack of quality, stable and affordable housing leads to poor health outcomes.

In collaboration with Human Impact Partners, the project conducted a modified Health Impact Assessment (HIA), leading to the publication of the “Home Is Where Our Health Is” report with policy recommendations. The formation of the Healthy Housing Initiative’s Housing Advisory Council facilitated stakeholder engagement and contributed to the establishment of the Milwaukee Rental Housing Resource Center. The center’s triage team provided diverse services and resources to over 2,300 households in six months. Finally, a website was launched and garnered substantial engagement, with over 158,000 visitors since its launch in December 2020.

The Challenge

Housing is a crucial driver of health, and Milwaukee faces a housing crisis related to the quality, stability and affordability of housing. According to the US Census Bureau’s 2015 American Housing Survey, there are over 28,000 rental housing units that are deemed moderately to severely inadequate to live in and 40 percent of homes in Milwaukee were built before 1939. Stability issues persist as nearly 16,000 adults and children are evicted in the city each year. Disparities exist as women and people of color are over 50 percent more likely to be evicted than men or white individuals. Finally, the majority of poor families in Milwaukee spend over half of their income on low quality housing while federal guidelines recommend allocating no more than 30 percent of income on housing. This lack of quality, stable and affordable housing leads to poor health outcomes.

Project Goals

The overarching goal of this project was to improve health and reduce inequities within Wisconsin that are driven and reinforced by poor housing conditions. This goal was addressed through four specific aims:

1. Connect with affected communities to explore and prioritize specific housing policy change targets.
2. Assess the impacts on health of implementing those specific policy changes.
3. Build the collective efficacy of tenants directly impacted by the housing policy to advocate for that change.
4. Begin to shift the narrative and norms around the specific housing policy.

Results

This project made significant progress toward its goal to improve health and reduce housing inequities. Community Advocates partnered with Human Impact Partners to conduct a modified version of a health impact assessment (HIA), researching how the affordability, quality and stability of housing has affected the health of renters. The findings were published in the “Home Is Where Our Health Is” report and included policy recommendations that will improve housing, health and equity for renters in Milwaukee and across Wisconsin. The Healthy Housing Initiative’s Housing Advisory Council was formed to inform the project’s HIA work and engaged a broad stakeholder group to share insights and resources, organize focus groups, brainstorm solutions and review the “Home Is Where Our Health Is” report.

In response to the report and stakeholder recommendations, the Milwaukee Rental Housing Resource Center was established with the help of the Rental Housing Resource Center coalition which is made up of representatives from tenant service organizations, landlords and the local, state and federal government. Within six months of its opening, the resource center’s triage team served more than 2,300 households. Provision of services included assessment and referrals to rent assistance, mediation, legal services such as Right to Counsel, housing navigation, rent abatement and coordinated entry. Residents were connected with services in person, over the phone and by email.

The Milwaukee Rental Housing Resource Center’s website (renthelpmke.org) was launched in December 2020 to provide resources, help with rental assistance or eviction prevention and offer information about the eviction moratorium. Since its launch, more than 158,000 visitors have accessed the website.