Housing and health

Financial crisis is threatening children's well-being

we must ensure they have a stable place to live

Many families across America could tell similar stories. Data from the National Center on Family Homelessness and from the Children's Sentinel Nutrition Assessment Program, a collaborative project of the University of Maryland School of Medicine and medical centers in five other states with data on more than 30,000 young children, have found that housing instability increases children's risks for multiple health challenges. These include poor growth, asthma, ear infections, anxiety, depression and delayed development.

The foreclosure crisis is forcing thousands of families out of their homes. Each day in the United States, more than 200,000 children have no place to live. In Baltimore, more than 3,000 city residents are homeless, and thousands more are crowded into unstable housing. Families with children are one of the fastest-growing segments of the homeless population.

Rates of homelessness and housing instability are expected to increase as more families lose housing in today's market and deepening recession.

Although closing the waiting list for the Housing Choice Voucher Program will make a bad situation worse, the shortage of vouchers themselves is the real problem. In this time of economic crisis, conversations should focus on including vouchers in the economic stimulus and bailout package to help families who have lost or are on the verge of losing their homes.

Facilitating secure housing for families is a critical step toward ensuring the health and development of our nation's children. Healthy children learn in school, are proud of their successes and become healthy, productive adults. Is there any better investment we can make?

Margo Candelaria and Sarah Oberlander are postdoctoral fellows and Maureen Black ( [e-mail]) is a professor in the department of pediatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.