The housing and public health sectors have a long history of working together to protect and promote health. Beginning in the late 19th century, efforts to eradicate infectious diseases, including typhoid, cholera, and tuberculosis, resulted in policies and programs, such as building codes and housing inspection systems, that have been critical in improving housing quality and preventing disease for more than 100 years. Today, as scientific understanding of and policymaker attention to the impacts of physical environments on health have evolved, professionals engaged in housing, community development, and planning once again have a critical role in curbing negative health outcomes and their associated costs.

Over the past 15 years, research has consistently demonstrated the link between housing and health. For example, a lack of affordable housing not only affects people’s ability to acquire and maintain adequate shelter but also limits their capacity to meet other basic needs. Financial constraints can force families to make tough choices between paying for rent, utilities, food, or medical care.4 The design and quality of housing can also affect health outcomes such as asthma, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and injury, while location and social, economic, and built environments in surrounding neighborhoods can improve or constrain access to health-supportive resources, opportunities, and social networks and relationships among neighborhood residents. Nationwide, housing officials are at the forefront of efforts to address many of these challenges by building affordable housing, supporting improvements in neighborhood infrastructure, and advancing social and economic opportunities.