what is housing condition

What do they mean by housing?

September 2020) Housing, or more generally, living spaces, refers to the construction and assigned usage of houses or buildings individually or collectively, for the purpose of shelter. Housing ensures that members of society have a place to live, whether it is a home or some other kind of dwelling, lodging or shelter.

What is poor home condition?

Inadequate housing is housing that is in poor condition or situated in a high density area: Damp – growth of moulds. Overcrowding – too many people to a room, reduces privacy. Draughty. Unsafe – need repairs, electrical faults.

How does housing affect the quality of life?

Healthy homes promote good physical and mental health. Good health depends on having homes that are safe and free from physical hazards. In contrast, poor quality and inadequate housing contributes to health problems such as chronic diseases and injuries, and can have harmful effects on childhood development.

What is good housing?

Good housing means having a home that is secure, safe, in good repair and free from infestation and mold. A home that doesn't meet these basic criteria has significant consequences for your health, and unfortunately this is a reality for many Torontonians.

How does housing conditions affect mental health?

Children who have lived in temporary accommodation for over a year are three times as likely to have mental health problems, including depression and anxiety, compared to their peers. Living in poor housing affects women more than men.

How can the quality of housing be improved?

There are several ways to improve housing quality and safety for homeowners and renters:Monitor existing housing quality. ... Work with owners to address code violations. ... Provide assistance or incentives to owners of lower-cost rental housing in need of repairs.More items...

What is importance of housing?

A good home provides protection. Children are less at risk of violence and sexual abuse. They are less likely to be forced into child labour, married off at a young age or forcibly recruited by armed groups. A home ensures that displaced people have better access to humanitarian aid.

Why is housing important for quality of life?

The quality of a home's neighborhood is shaped in part by how well individual homes are maintained, and widespread residential deterioration in a neighborhood can negatively affect mental health. Both home design and structure significantly influence housing quality and may affect mental and physical health.

How does housing affect poverty?

Housing Benefit helps prevent poverty and material deprivation. But Housing Benefit also reduces work incentives and creates unemployment and poverty traps. Rent levels affect financial work incentives and unemployment and poverty traps for tenants. Building homes creates jobs.

What are the basic housing needs?

There are four basic requirements for housing: satisfying physiological needs, protection against infections, protection against accidents, and satisfying psychological and social needs. The implementation of all housing requirements is challenging.

What is housing standard?

Housing Standards means the standards mutually agreed upon by the developer and the Housing Agency which shall guide and determine the numbers and types of workforce housing units to be developed.

What is the principle of housing?

Housing is a Public Health Issue. It is said that affordable, sanitary housing is essential for good health and for healthy communities. Housing standards and its relation with health is explained.

How does housing affect a child development?

Children living in bad housing are more susceptible to developing behavioural problems such as hyperactivity and aggression. Bad housing affects children's ability to learn at school and study at home. Children in unfit and overcrowded homes miss school more frequently due to illness and infection.

Why is housing a determinant of health?

Adequate housing or the prevention of precarious housing must be considered a key component of health promotion or disease prevention. Adequate housing is safe, secure and affordable shelter with access to suitable facilities for daily living (such as washing, cooking and heating), and sufficient living space.

What are the links between housing and health?

The quality of the home has a substantial impact on health; a warm, dry and secure home is associated with better health. In addition to basic housing requirements, other factors that help to improve well-being include the neighbourhood, security of tenure and modifications for those with disabilities.

Why is housing important?

Housing is a major element of people’s material living standards. It is essential to meet basic needs, such as for shelter from weather conditions, and to offer a sense of personal security, privacy and personal space. Good housing conditions are also essential for people’s health and affect childhood development.

Is housing good in the OECD?

Overall, housing conditions seem good in most OECD countries although, in terms of living space, the results are less satisfactory when household composition is taken into consideration.

What are the maintenance deficiencies in a rental?

Households renting in homes with three or more maintenance deficiencies, which could include inadequate heating in the winter, heating breakdown, cracks or holes in interior walls, presence of rodents, peeling paint, toilet breakdowns, and/or water leaks. Sources: 2017 Housing and Vacancy Survey (HVS), US Census Bureau/HPD. Note: The HVS asks the householder about the presence of seven specific maintenance deficiencies. If the householder reports three or more of these, all persons in that household are classified as living in a unit with 3 or more problems. Any household that does not provide an answer to all seven items is excluded from this estimate.

What is moderate rent burden?

Note: Severe rent burden indicates paying more than 50% of income on rent. Moderate rent burden indicates paying 30-50% of income on rent. Rent burden is not calculated for those in means tested housing (public housing and/or receiving a Sec 8 voucher).

What is the rent burden?

Rent Burden: Renter households paying more than 30% of income on housing. Not calculated for those living in public housing and/or receiving a housing choice voucher. Sources: 2017 Housing and Vacancy Survey (HVS), U.S. Census Bureau/HPD. Note: Householders born in Puerto Rico are included in born in the U.S. Rent burden is not calculated for those in means tested housing (public housing and/or receiving a housing choice voucher). Moderately rent burdened indicates households paying more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent (including utilities), while severely rent burdened indicates paying more than 50% of pre-tax income on rent (including utilities).

What are the deficiencies of the HVS?

The HVS asks the householder about the presence of seven specific maintenance deficiencies: 1) additional heating required in winter; 2) heating breakdown; 3) cracks or holes in interior walls, ceilings, or floors; 4) presence of rodents in the building; 5) presence of broken plaster or peeling paint; 6) toilet breakdowns; 7) water leakage into unit.

What is the average household size in New York City?

The Average Household Size by Race and Ethnicity chart below shows that the average household size in New York City is 2.42 residents. Households with White householders are on average smaller (2.11) than the city average, while households with Hispanic (2.69) or Asian/PI (2.96) householders are on average larger.

What percentage of shelter families have Hispanic children?

A majority of families with children in shelter had a Black householder, and 37% of families with children in shelter had a Hispanic householder. All other racial and ethnic groups, including White and Asian/PI, accounted for less than 6% of householders of families with children.

Is a single adult household mutually exclusive?

Sources: 2017 Housing and Vacancy Survey (HVS), US Census Bureau/HPD. Single adult families (one adult living alone), families with children (one or more adult and at least one person under the age of eighteen in the household), and adult families (two or more adults in a household with no children, regardless of relations) are mutually exclusive and total all renter households. Senior in household (at least one household member aged 62+) is not mutually exclusive and overlaps with the other three categories.

What is the definition of quality in housing?

Housing quality refers to the physical condition of a person’s home as well as the quality of the social and physical environment in which the home is located. 1 , 2 Aspects of housing quality include air quality, home safety, space per individual, and the presence of mold, asbestos, or lead. 1 Housing quality is affected by factors like a home’s design 1, 2, 3 and age. 4 , 5 Poor-quality housing is associated with various negative health outcomes, including chronic disease and injury and poor mental health. 2 , 4 , 6 , 7 The quality of a home’s neighborhood is shaped in part by how well individual homes are maintained, and widespread residential deterioration in a neighborhood can negatively affect mental health. 7

What are the negative effects of living in poor quality housing?

Children 12 and older adults with physical limitations may be especially susceptible to negative health outcomes when living in poor quality housing. 1 , 4 Inadequately vented appliances in the home may result in increased exposure to carbon monoxide in utero, which may affect fetal development or even result in fetal death. 11 , 12 Children’s behaviors, such as hand-to-mouth activity, may increase their exposure to home pollutants. 12 , 26 Older adults may experience serious injury from falls in the home, especially in homes with stairs, narrow doorways, or other obstacles. 1 , 4 , 27

How does lack of air conditioning affect health?

Inadequate plumbing and lack of air conditioning in homes may also impact health. 14 , 15 Corroded plumbing infrastructure (e.g., in Flint, Michigan) increases residents’ exposure to lead 16 and their risk of lead poisoning. 17 Living in a home without air conditioning may increase the risk of vector-borne diseases, like dengue fever, if people leave unscreened windows open for ventilation. 15 , 18

How can we improve housing quality?

Interventions to improve housing quality, such as restrictions on lead paint and renovations of older homes, have been shown to decrease certain health risks (e.g., through decreased rates of lead poisoning). 12 Further research is needed to develop other effective interventions to improve housing quality. This additional evidence will facilitate public health efforts to address quality of housing as a social determinant of health.

What are the health effects of low income?

Low-income families may be more likely to live in poor-quality housing that can damage health. 4 , 6 , 18 These homes may be underinsulated, lack air conditioning, and cost more to heat, leaving homes either too hot or too cold, which has been linked to poorer health outcomes. 2 , 4 , 19 For example, spending time in a cold home may raise blood pressure or even lead to a heart attack. 20 , 21 In addition, residents of overcrowded homes may be at risk for poor mental health, food insecurity, and infectious diseases. 2 , 12 , 22 , 23 Additionally, the homes of low-income families are more likely to have water leaks; 5 these leaks are associated with mold growth, 5 which has been shown to affect respiratory health 24 and increase the likelihood of asthma, coughing, and wheezing. 25

How does home design affect health?

Both home design and structure significantly influence housing quality and may affect mental and physical health. 3 , 8 , 9 Steps, balconies, and windows are features of home design that may present a threat to safety, especially for individuals with physical disabilities. 1 , 2 , 10 Breakable glass, low windowsills, and poorly constructed stairs may increase the risk of injury from a fall. 2 , 8

What is a minority in a summary?

ii The term minority, when used in a summary, refers to racial/ethnic minority, unless otherwise specified.

When was the Housing Act passed?

Housing Act of 1949, The US Committee on Agriculture Glossary.

What is semisedentary housing?

Housing used by seminomads for several months or for a season can be considered semisedentary and reflective of the advancement of the concept of property, which is lacking in the preceding societies. This concept of property is primarily of communal property, as opposed to individual or personal property.

What is periodic dwelling?

Periodic Dwellings. Periodic dwellings are also defined as regular temporary dwellings used by nomadic tribal societies living in a pastoral economy. This type of housing is reflected in the yurt used by the Mongolian and Kirgizian groups and the Bedouins of North Africa and western Asia.

What was the housing market like in the 1920s?

Immediately after World War I and during the 1920s, city population growth was outpaced by population growth in the suburbs by a factor of two. The focus at the time was on the single-family suburban dwelling. The 1920s were a time of growth, but the decade following the Great Depression, beginning in 1929, was one of deflation, cessation of building, loss of mortgage financing, and the plunge into unemployment of large numbers of building trade workers. Additionally, 1.5 million home loans were foreclosed during this period. In 1936, the housing market began to make a comeback; however, the 1930s would come to be known as the beginning of public housing, with increased public involvement in housing construction, as demonstrated by the many laws passed during the era [ 5]. The National Housing Act was passed by Congress in 1934 and set up the Federal Housing Administration. This agency encouraged banks, building and loan associations, and others to make loans for building homes, small business establishments, and farm buildings. If the Federal Housing Administration approved the plans, it would insure the loan. In 1937, Congress passed another National Housing Act that enabled the Federal Housing Administration to take control of slum clearance. It made 60-year loans at low interest to local governments to help them build apartment blocks. Rents in these homes were fixed and were only available to low-income families. By 1941, the agency had assisted in the construction of more than 120,000 family units.

What is the purpose of shelter?

Introduction. The term “shelter,” which is often used to define housing, has a strong connection to the ultimate purpose of housing throughout the world. The mental image of a shelter is of a safe, secure place that provides both privacy and protection from the elements and the temperature extremes of the outside world.

Why are health, home construction, and home maintenance inseparable?

Health, home construction, and home maintenance are inseparable because of their overlapping goals. Many highly trained individuals must work together to achieve quality, safe, and healthy housing. Contractors, builders, code inspectors, housing inspectors, environmental health officers, injury control specialists, and epidemiologists all are indispensable to achieving the goal of the best housing in the world for U.S. citizens. This goal is the basis for the collaboration of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention (CDC).

What is the meaning of "without a decent place to live"?

Without a decent place to live, people cannot be productive members of society, children cannot learn and families cannot thrive.”. The term “shelter,” which is often used to define housing, has a strong connection to the ultimate purpose of housing throughout the world.

Why is lack of affordable housing a problem?

The lack of affordable housing and threat to many families of losing their home because of debts they are unable to meet has become an increasing problem , and one which often has substantial negative bearings on mental and sometimes physical health.

How does housing affect health?

A healthy home needs to have sound structure, to be free of hazards, to provide adequate facilities for sleeping, personal hygiene, the preparation and storage of food, to be an environment for comfortable relaxation, for privacy and quiet, and to provide the facility for social exchange with friends, family and others. The local environment is also important in determining such factors as fear of crime, access to local services and facilities and in promoting social interaction.

What are the hazards of the cold?

Among the more important such hazards are: Cold/ inadequate energy efficiency. (1) Cold. In Britain, as in many countries, there is a large winter excess of deaths and morbidity, many of which (around 25,000 deaths a year [2]) are attributable to the direct effects of cold.

Why is housing important?

However, housing is important for many aspects of healthy living and well-being. The home is important for psychosocial reasons as well as its protection against the elements, but it can also be the source of a wide range of hazards (physical, chemical, biological).

What are the physical risks of flooding?

Physical risks, from drowning and injury, due to floodwaters, unstable buildings and debris. Mental health aspects, from being displaced, loss of property, possessions, despair, loss of community. Contamination of water supplies, due to surface or groundwater flooding, by sewage.

What is the housing market?

The U.S. housing market is a major indicator of the strength of the economy. When the economy is strong and people are confident about the future, they are more inclined to buy houses, upgrade their current homes or buy larger houses.

Is a Condo a Good Investment?

Weigh the pros and cons of a condominium as an investment purchase before you take the leap.

How is housing affordable?

Housing is affordable when the housing of an acceptable minimum standard can be obtained and retained leaving sufficient income to meet essential non-housing expenditure.

What is the housing rate for 2020?

Total starts were 2.8% higher than a year ago. Privately‐owned housing units authorized by building permits in August were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,728,000. This is 6.0 percent (±1.4 percent) above the revised July rate of 1,630,000 and is 13.5 percent (±1.8 percent) above the August 2020 rate of 1,522,000.

What will happen to the housing market in 2021?

Buyers are driving up home prices in the 2021 housing market, causing homes to sell quickly. Some hyperactive buyers make offers without seeing the property and forego contingencies in order to win bidding wars in the highly competitive housing market.

What was the median price of a house in May 2021?

New home sales fell 5.9% in May from April, to 769,000. The median sales price of new houses sold in May 2021 was $374,400, up 2.5% from April and 18.1% year-over-year.

Why are mortgage rates falling?

The rates were cut in 2020 as a result of the pandemic, which helped to mitigate the impact of increasing prices. In January 2021 it reached a record low of 2.65%, driven by massive monetary incentives and investors' economic recovery concerns. Rates rebound from their lowest point in the first week of April to 3.18%. The Federal Reserve’s continued monetary easing, and especially the bank’s monthly purchases of mortgage-backed securities, is keeping a strong downward pressure on rates.

Why are house prices so high?

Due to the brisk demand, purchasers have been frantically bidding up the prices of available houses, sending property prices skyrocketing. House prices in all the major local real estate markets continue to rise. The housing market is becoming harder for home buyers. The demand is high, and the supply and inventory are lacking.

How much was the housing market in 2020?

Although housing sales were up 44.6 percent year on year (4.01 million in May 2020), the comparison is heavily skewed because the housing market was effectively shut down for two months at the start of the pandemic. Last summer, the market recovered and remained strong for the rest of the year.

Differences by Race, Ethnicity, and National Origin

See more on wherewelive.cityofnewyork.us

Differences by Household Composition

Populations in Publicly Supported Housing and Shelter