Co-authors of UW-Extension study speak on connection of health, housing, ways to address housing stress
Housing financial stress has been rising among Wisconsin residents, and it is tied to an increase in negative health outcomes, according to a report from the University of Wisconsin-Extension.
The report found that housing instability is linked to worsened mental and physical health and may cause food insecurity, physical exhaustion, hypertension and lowered fertility. While this stress is more common among renters than homeowners, the consequential health impacts were linked more with older homeowners, co-author of the report and associate professor in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics Tessa Conroy said.
These impacts are not only felt by individual residents but also on a community level. Co-author of the report and PhD student in the sociology department at UW Erin Gaede said housing is often overlooked when considering community wellbeing.
Gaede said that residents must understand that housing, financial stress and health are interconnected.
“If people are prioritizing their shelter over everything else, the potential for negative health outcomes is, I don’t want to say inevitable, but likely. So I think that that was kind of a surprising finding,” Gaede said...
The report found that housing instability is linked to worsened mental and physical health and may cause food insecurity, physical exhaustion, hypertension and lowered fertility. While this stress is more common among renters than homeowners, the consequential health impacts were linked more with older homeowners, co-author of the report and associate professor in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics Tessa Conroy said.
These impacts are not only felt by individual residents but also on a community level. Co-author of the report and PhD student in the sociology department at UW Erin Gaede said housing is often overlooked when considering community wellbeing.
Gaede said that residents must understand that housing, financial stress and health are interconnected.
“If people are prioritizing their shelter over everything else, the potential for negative health outcomes is, I don’t want to say inevitable, but likely. So I think that that was kind of a surprising finding,” Gaede said...
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Ken Notes: We are causing stress and actual health issues because we do not want to address affordable workforce housing in Wisconsin. We will see more issues related to this until we develop communities that care for one another.
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