If you have been paying attention to our “Did You Know” campaigns over the last couple years, you may already know that housing insecurity directly affects an individual’s health. Living in low income neighborhoods is proven to increase the likelihood of chronic health issues such as asthma and cancer. Additionally, the threat of evictions on families typically result in depression in mothers and adverse health in children. But did you also know that housing influences reproductive health as well? We wanted to take this opportunity, especially considering legislation that has recently been passed in Texas limiting abortion access, to share some insight on why stable housing is crucial to reproductive health and justice.
Access to stable housing is associated with good reproductive health and freedom. Living in secure housing affords potential parents the ability to plan ahead and safely raise their children. For those who want to avoid pregnancy, housing insecurity might mean having to decide between paying costly medical bills and paying their rent. Lack of stable housing also reduces access to contraceptives and prenatal care, increasing the likelihood of an unintended pregnancy and complications. Lack of access to contraceptives and preventative medicine means that people experiencing homelessness are more likely to experience pregnancy. In 2009, approximately 10% of women aged 15–44 were pregnant in the United States, compared to 50–60% of homeless women. (Cronley et al., 2016)
Low income single parents and people of color disproportionately experience evictions and homelessness. When they do have housing, they are more likely to live in areas of concentrated poverty due to historic and present day discriminatory housing practices, such as redlining. Low income neighborhoods are more likely to experience air pollution and toxins, which could affect a pregnancy in myriad of ways, including miscarriages and pre-term birth. (Currie et al., 2015) Additionally, individuals who experience homelessness are more likely to experience sexual violence that may result in pregnancy (Young & Fredericksen, 2017). With lack of access to medical clinics, people who are pregnant and experiencing homelessness are more vulnerable to complications because they are more likely to visit a clinic later in their pregnancy. (Orlando et al., 2020)
With such serious implications on general health and reproductive health, it is imperative that our legislators implement tenant protections and enact a statewide moratorium. Stable housing directly correlates with good reproductive health and children’s wellbeing and safety; therefore bold strategies are needed to protect access to safe, decent, affordable homes to ensure families’ welfare. It is also necessary that such strategies are drafted through a lens of gender of racial justice, as people of color and single mothers are disproportionately affected by evictions and homelessness.
