What is known about mental health and US federal housing subsidy programs? A scoping review

US federal housing subsidy programs have the potential to shape mental health outcomes for millions of low-income residents. Four characteristics of housing can influence mental health outcomes: cost, conditions, consistency, and context (the 4Cs). We use this framework to structure a scoping review...

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Main Authors: Rick DeVoss, Jeremy Auerbach, Natalie Banacos, Adriana Burnett, Oluwatobi Oke, Stephanie Pease, Courtney Welton-Mitchell, Marisa Westbrook, Katherine L. Dickinson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2022-12-01
Series:SSM - Mental Health
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666560322000950
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author Rick DeVoss
Jeremy Auerbach
Natalie Banacos
Adriana Burnett
Oluwatobi Oke
Stephanie Pease
Courtney Welton-Mitchell
Marisa Westbrook
Katherine L. Dickinson
author_facet Rick DeVoss
Jeremy Auerbach
Natalie Banacos
Adriana Burnett
Oluwatobi Oke
Stephanie Pease
Courtney Welton-Mitchell
Marisa Westbrook
Katherine L. Dickinson
author_sort Rick DeVoss
collection DOAJ
description US federal housing subsidy programs have the potential to shape mental health outcomes for millions of low-income residents. Four characteristics of housing can influence mental health outcomes: cost, conditions, consistency, and context (the 4Cs). We use this framework to structure a scoping review focused on assessing what we know about how U.S. federal housing subsidy program affect mental health outcomes, and how those effects may operate through the 4C pathways. We identified 1203 peer-reviewed articles published between 2003 and 2020 that met our search criteria. A multi-phase screening process narrowed this down to 31 papers that met our eligibility criteria (examining U.S. subsidized housing and evaluating mental health outcomes). The full texts of these articles were reviewed and coded for study location, methods (including comparison groups, if present), housing programs studied, mental health outcomes, and factors related to each of the 4Cs. Most of the included articles (22/31) used quantitative methods, and a majority compared residents using different types of housing assistance (23/31) while only 7/31 included a comparison with individuals living in unsubsidized housing. Overall, results show that housing assistance has mental health benefits, and that these benefits vary across program types. The 4C framework helps to elucidate mechanisms underlying these effects. For example, residents who move from public housing to voucher-based housing (for example, through the well-studied Moving to Opportunity experiment) experience changes in neighborhood context that can be positive or negative (decrease in neighborhood violence but also decrease in social cohesion), along with less housing consistency and potentially higher utility costs. Future studies should focus on tradeoffs among the 4Cs, application of strong causal inference methods, comparisons between subsidized and unsubsidized housing, and longitudinal effects of redevelopment programs like the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative. This evidence can inform housing subsidy policy design to improve resident's mental health.
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spelling doaj.art-af4dc04dca5249478d4ce2e40c4cbb992022-12-28T04:20:08ZengElsevierSSM - Mental Health2666-56032022-12-012100155What is known about mental health and US federal housing subsidy programs? A scoping reviewRick DeVoss0Jeremy Auerbach1Natalie Banacos2Adriana Burnett3Oluwatobi Oke4Stephanie Pease5Courtney Welton-Mitchell6Marisa Westbrook7Katherine L. Dickinson8Colorado School of Public Health, 13001 East 17th Place, 3rd Floor, Aurora, CO, 80045, USAColorado State University, Department of Environmental & Radiological Health Sciences, 1601 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO, 80523-1601, USAColorado School of Public Health, 13001 East 17th Place, 3rd Floor, Aurora, CO, 80045, USAColorado School of Public Health, 13001 East 17th Place, 3rd Floor, Aurora, CO, 80045, USAColorado State University, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Fort Collins, CO, 80524, USAColorado School of Public Health, 13001 East 17th Place, 3rd Floor, Aurora, CO, 80045, USAColorado School of Public Health, 13001 East 17th Place, 3rd Floor, Aurora, CO, 80045, USAUniversity of Colorado Denver Department of Health & Behavioral Sciences, North Classroom, Building, 3rd Floor, Denver, CO, 80217, USAColorado School of Public Health, 13001 East 17th Place, 3rd Floor, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA; Corresponding author.US federal housing subsidy programs have the potential to shape mental health outcomes for millions of low-income residents. Four characteristics of housing can influence mental health outcomes: cost, conditions, consistency, and context (the 4Cs). We use this framework to structure a scoping review focused on assessing what we know about how U.S. federal housing subsidy program affect mental health outcomes, and how those effects may operate through the 4C pathways. We identified 1203 peer-reviewed articles published between 2003 and 2020 that met our search criteria. A multi-phase screening process narrowed this down to 31 papers that met our eligibility criteria (examining U.S. subsidized housing and evaluating mental health outcomes). The full texts of these articles were reviewed and coded for study location, methods (including comparison groups, if present), housing programs studied, mental health outcomes, and factors related to each of the 4Cs. Most of the included articles (22/31) used quantitative methods, and a majority compared residents using different types of housing assistance (23/31) while only 7/31 included a comparison with individuals living in unsubsidized housing. Overall, results show that housing assistance has mental health benefits, and that these benefits vary across program types. The 4C framework helps to elucidate mechanisms underlying these effects. For example, residents who move from public housing to voucher-based housing (for example, through the well-studied Moving to Opportunity experiment) experience changes in neighborhood context that can be positive or negative (decrease in neighborhood violence but also decrease in social cohesion), along with less housing consistency and potentially higher utility costs. Future studies should focus on tradeoffs among the 4Cs, application of strong causal inference methods, comparisons between subsidized and unsubsidized housing, and longitudinal effects of redevelopment programs like the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative. This evidence can inform housing subsidy policy design to improve resident's mental health.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666560322000950Public healthMental healthHousing qualityNeighborhood characteristicsSubsidized housingUnited States
spellingShingle Rick DeVoss
Jeremy Auerbach
Natalie Banacos
Adriana Burnett
Oluwatobi Oke
Stephanie Pease
Courtney Welton-Mitchell
Marisa Westbrook
Katherine L. Dickinson
What is known about mental health and US federal housing subsidy programs? A scoping review
SSM - Mental Health
Public health
Mental health
Housing quality
Neighborhood characteristics
Subsidized housing
United States
title What is known about mental health and US federal housing subsidy programs? A scoping review
title_full What is known about mental health and US federal housing subsidy programs? A scoping review
title_fullStr What is known about mental health and US federal housing subsidy programs? A scoping review
title_full_unstemmed What is known about mental health and US federal housing subsidy programs? A scoping review
title_short What is known about mental health and US federal housing subsidy programs? A scoping review
title_sort what is known about mental health and us federal housing subsidy programs a scoping review
topic Public health
Mental health
Housing quality
Neighborhood characteristics
Subsidized housing
United States
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666560322000950
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