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The Global Housing Crisis, Homelessness and Health

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Global Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2023) | Viewed by 5291

Special Issue Editor

Institute for Health and Equity, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
Interests: HIV; substance use disorder; homelessness; housing instability; informal settlements; global health; opioids; crack

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Globally, there is a dearth of quality, affordable housing, as seen in the high rates of homelessness and eviction in high-income countries (HICs) and the expansion of informal (slum) settlements in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The link between homelessness and housing instability and health has been demonstrated in HICs for some health conditions, and a growing body of research is demonstrating the disproportionate health burdens faced by residents of informal settlements in LMICs; however, much work remains. Housing instability has neighborhood-level effects such as the loss of community cohesion and disruption of social networks in neighborhoods with high eviction rates.  Several solutions to the affordable housing crisis have been proposed and implemented but have yet to be evaluated for their effects on housing stability and health. In HICs, these include low-income housing projects, tax credits for mixed-income housing, housing subsidies, and permanent supportive housing. Several countries have taken actions meant to improve living conditions for informal-settlement residents, including upgrading existing informal settlements, giving residents legal title to their property, or building new affordable housing developments; however, few evaluations of these efforts on health have been conducted. This Special Issue will explore solutions to the housing crisis including upgrading, housing subsidies, and the creation of new developments.     

We will accept manuscripts with research on the health effects of housing insecurity, homelessness, or living in informal slum settlements and any solutions to improve the living conditions or housing security of residents. Potential topics include the following: 

  • The effects of high rates of housing stability on neighborhoods and health.
  • Health effects of providing permanent supportive housing or housing subsidies to low-income individuals and families.
  • Health effects of living in informal settlements.
  • Differences in living conditions in different informal settlements and their impact on health.
  • Housing policy and health.
  • Slum upgrading efforts and their impact on health.
  • Low-income housing projects and health.
  • Ways of providing health and social services within informal settlements.
  • The effects of eviction on health.
  • Health insurance coverage of housing.

Prof. Dr. Julia Dickson-Gomez
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • informal settlements
  • slum settlements
  • housing instability
  • eviction
  • housing policy
  • housing subsidies
  • permanent supportive housing
  • slum upgrading
  • affordable housing

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 595 KiB  
Article
Housing Insecurity and Other Syndemic Factors Experienced by Black and Latina Cisgender Women in Austin, Texas: A Qualitative Study
by Liesl A. Nydegger, Erin N. Benton, Bree Hemingway, Sarah Fung, Mandy Yuan, Chau Phung and Kasey R. Claborn
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(24), 7177; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20247177 - 13 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1474
Abstract
Austin, Texas emerged as one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S. over the past decade. Urban transformation has exacerbated inequities and reduced ethnic/racial diversity among communities. This qualitative study focused on housing insecurity and other syndemic factors among Black and Latina cisgender [...] Read more.
Austin, Texas emerged as one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S. over the past decade. Urban transformation has exacerbated inequities and reduced ethnic/racial diversity among communities. This qualitative study focused on housing insecurity and other syndemic factors among Black and Latina cisgender women (BLCW). Data collection from 18 BLCW using in-depth interviews guided by syndemic theory was conducted three times over three months between 2018 and 2019. Four housing insecurity categories emerged: (a) very unstable, (b) unstable, (c) stable substandard, and (d) stable costly. Participants who experienced more stable housing, particularly more stable housing across interviews, reported fewer instances of intimate partner violence (IPV), less substance use, and a reduced risk of acquiring HIV. Results identified the importance of exploring housing insecurity with other syndemic factors among BLCW along with determining structural- and multi-level interventions to improve housing circumstances and other syndemic factors. Future research should explore these factors in other geographic locations, among other intersectional communities, and among larger sample sizes and consider using a mixed methods approach. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Global Housing Crisis, Homelessness and Health)
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10 pages, 337 KiB  
Article
Housing Instability Associated with Return to Stimulant Use among Previously Abstaining Women
by Nicky J. Mehtani, Chika C. Chuku, Meredith C. Meacham, Eric Vittinghoff, Samantha E. Dilworth and Elise D. Riley
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(19), 6830; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20196830 - 26 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1111
Abstract
Stimulant use among unstably housed individuals is associated with increased risks of psychiatric co-morbidity, violence, HIV transmission, and overdose. Due to a lack of highly effective treatments, evidence-based policies targeting the prevention of stimulant use disorder are of critical importance. However, little empirical [...] Read more.
Stimulant use among unstably housed individuals is associated with increased risks of psychiatric co-morbidity, violence, HIV transmission, and overdose. Due to a lack of highly effective treatments, evidence-based policies targeting the prevention of stimulant use disorder are of critical importance. However, little empirical evidence exists on risks associated with initiating or returning to stimulant use among at-risk populations. In a longitudinal cohort of unstably housed women in San Francisco (2016–2019), self-reported data on stimulant use, housing status, and mental health were collected monthly for up to 6 months, and factors associated with initiating stimulants after a period of non-use were identified through logistic regression. Among 245 participants, 42 (17.1%) started using cocaine and 46 (18.8%) started using methamphetamine. In analyses adjusting for demographics and socio-structural exposures over the preceding month, experiencing street homelessness was associated with initiating cocaine use (AOR: 2.10; 95% CI: 1.04, 4.25) and sheltered homelessness with initiating methamphetamine use (AOR: 2.57; 95% CI: 1.37, 4.79). Other factors—including race, income, unmet subsistence needs, mental health, and treatment adherence—did not reach levels of significance, suggesting the paramount importance of policies directed toward improving access to permanent supportive housing to prevent stimulant use among unstably housed women. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Global Housing Crisis, Homelessness and Health)
13 pages, 311 KiB  
Article
Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Challenges in Informal Settlements in Kampala, Uganda: A Qualitative Study
by Julia Dickson-Gomez, Agnes Nyabigambo, Abigail Rudd, Julius Ssentongo, Arthur Kiconco and Roy William Mayega
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(12), 6181; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20126181 - 19 Jun 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2289
Abstract
Diarrhea causes 1.6 million deaths annually, including 525,000 children. Further, chronic diarrhea puts children at risk for mineral deficiencies, malnutrition, and stunting which, in turn, can result in cognitive deficits, poor performance in school, and decreased disease immunity in adulthood. Most diarrhea is [...] Read more.
Diarrhea causes 1.6 million deaths annually, including 525,000 children. Further, chronic diarrhea puts children at risk for mineral deficiencies, malnutrition, and stunting which, in turn, can result in cognitive deficits, poor performance in school, and decreased disease immunity in adulthood. Most diarrhea is caused by water contaminated by fecal matter. Interventions to improve clean water and sanitation can save lives; however, challenges persist in informal settlements. In this study, we explored the views of residents of informal settlements regarding water and sanitation in their communities. Focus group interviews were conducted with residents of 6 informal settlements in Kampala, Uganda (n = 165 people), and 6 key informant interviews were conducted with governmental and nongovernmental organizations that work to improve informal settlements or provide services to them. The results from this study demonstrate that, although these informal settlements had many infrastructure “upgrades” such as latrines and toilets, water taps, wells, and garbage collection and drainage systems, the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) system and its components largely failed due to point-of-use charges of water taps and toilets and the difficulty of emptying cesspits. Our results suggest that WASH must be considered a system and that multiple upgrading efforts are needed for WASH systems to work, including road construction and better oversight of fecal sludge disposal. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Global Housing Crisis, Homelessness and Health)
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