Health Equity and Social Justice

Eboni Cochran knows when there has been a chemical release from one of the manufacturing facilities near her home in west Louisville, Kentucky. Not because of a warning siren, but because she smells it, then feels the symptoms almost immediately: sinus pain, headache, trouble breathing.

Cities are increasingly turning to their “anchor” institutions as drivers of economic development, harnessing the power of these major economic players to benefit urban neighborhoods. This is especially true for cities that are struggling with widespread poverty and disinvestment. Urban anchors – typically hospitals and universities – have sometimes isolated themselves from the poor and struggling neighborhoods that surround them. But this is changing.

We have more evidence than ever before that housing is one of the most important social determinants of health and one of the most efficient platforms for improving health outcomes. In February, Enterprise Community Partners released new research conducted in conjunction with the Center for Outcomes Research and Education, which provided quantitative evidence of the long-term positive impact that affordable housing has on health outcomes for the most vulnerable and difficult to serve.

Although many of the links between unsafe housing conditions and health—such as lead paint, mold, and rodents—are well-known, there are other, less obvious, connections between the places people live and their health.