Crowded Housing

Crowded Housing in United States

United States

Overcrowding (defined as housing with multiple occupants per room) can have a negative impact on well-being and relationships, particularly for children. Residential crowding makes it easier for diseases like tuberculosis and other respiratory infections to spread. Overcrowding and lack of ventilation can promote a moist environment perfect for mites, roaches and molds, all of which contribute to respiratory problems. Living in crowded conditions can also give rise to psychological distress in adults and children.

Those at greater risk of experiencing housing-related health conditions include:

• Low-income families and individuals. 
• Renters.
• Racial and ethnic minorities. 
• Individuals with physical limitations.
• Children. 
• Older adults.

Evidence supports various interventions to prevent and minimize the impact of housing problems on health. Healthy Homes programs at state and local levels have been found to improve health by remedying hazardous housing conditions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers more information and guidelines in their Healthy Housing Reference Manual, a comprehensive resource for public health and housing professionals. 

Increasing affordable housing options through local and national housing development policies, rental vouchers, subsidized housing and utility assistance programs can help cost-burdened individuals afford housing. More collaboration between the housing and public health sectors is needed to promote healthy home environments and better integrate health care into the housing system, particularly for those with chronic health needs. The National Low Income Housing Coalition offers additional resources and policy recommendations related to housing challenges.

Healthy People 2030 identifies quality of housing as a key issue in the neighborhood and built environment domain.

Acevedo-Garcia, Dolores. “Residential Segregation and the Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases.” Social Science & Medicine 51, no. 8 (October 16, 2000): 1143–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-9536(00)00016-2.

Braveman, Paula, Mercedes Dekker, Susan Egerter, Tabashir Sadegh-Nobari, and Craig Pollack. “Housing and Health.” Issue Brief #7: Exploring the Social Determinants of Health. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America, May 2011. https://www.rwjf.org/en/library/research/2011/05/housing-and-health.html.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Healthy Housing Reference Manual. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2006. https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/publications/books/housing/housing.htm.

Maani, Sholeh, Rhema Vaithianathan, and Barbara Wolfe. “Inequality and Health: Is Housing Crowding the Link?” Motu Working Paper 06-09. Motu Economic and Public Policy Research, December 2006. https://doi.org/10.22004/AG.ECON.292879.

Pollack, Craig, Susan Egerter, Tabashir Sadegh-Nobari, Mercedes Dekker, and Paula Braveman. “Where We Live Matters for Our Health: The Links Between Housing and Health.” Issue Brief 2: Housing and Health. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America, September 2008. http://www.commissiononhealth.org/PDF/e6244e9e-f630-4285-9ad7-16016dd7e493/Issue Brief 2 Sept 08 - Housing and Health.pdf.

Pollack, Craig Evan, Beth Ann Griffin, and Julia Lynch. “Housing Affordability and Health Among Homeowners and Renters.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 39, no. 6 (December 2010): 515–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2010.08.002.

Sandel, Megan, and Matthew Desmond. “Investing in Housing for Health Improves Both Mission and Margin.” JAMA 318, no. 23 (December 19, 2017): 2291–92. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2017.15771.

Solari, Claudia D., and Robert D. Mare. “Housing Crowding Effects on Children’s Wellbeing.” Social Science Research 41, no. 2 (March 2012): 464–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2011.09.012.

“The State of the Nation’s Housing 2022.” Cambridge, MA: Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, 2022. https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/reports/files/Harvard_JCHS_State_Nations_Housing_2022.pdf.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Healthy Homes. The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Healthy Homes. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General, 2009. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK44199/.

Weitzman, Michael, Ahmareen Baten, David G. Rosenthal, Risa Hoshino, Ellen Tohn, and David E. Jacobs. “Housing and Child Health.” Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent Health Care, Housing and Child Health, 43, no. 8 (September 1, 2013): 187–224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cppeds.2013.06.001.