Housing Mobility Provides a Prescription for Healthy Living

Moving families from segregated, high poverty neighborhoods, into desegregated "areas of opportunity" has multiple effects. Housing mobility programs help revitalize communities and improve the physical and mental health of families involved.

1 minute read

September 6, 2012, 7:00 AM PDT

By bstanley


Phil Tegeler (Poverty and Race Research Action Council) and Salimah Hankins (American Civil Liberties Union) profile the Baltimore's HUD supported Housing Mobility Program in Shelterforce's latest issue "Are Our Neighborhoods Making Us Sick?"

Housing segregation is widely cited as a cause of racial health disparities, and research supports the hypothesis that these disparities effect vulnerable children in the most severe ways. Reduction in rates of asthma, diabetes, obesity, and mental health conditions in families moving from high-poverty areas into low-poverty neighborhoods (like those in the Baltimore program) is well documented and "the savings to the public health system alone could pay for these moves many times over."

Tegeler and Hankins argue that leaders of housing mobility programs need to share stories about these health improvements with HUD to encourage them to move forward with the mobility agenda. But that won't be enough if civil rights groups are the only advocates at the table. As the authors point out, "we need our colleagues in the community development field to support mobility programs as a necessary complement to building stronger, healthier low- and mixed-income communities."

Thanks to Brittany Stanley

Wednesday, September 5, 2012 in Shelterforce Magazine

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Haussmann's redesign of Paris in the 1850s through 1870s under Napoleon III.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking

Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

June 30, 2025 - Tom Sanchez

View of dense apartment buildings on Seattle waterfront with high-rise buildings in background.

King County Supportive Housing Program Offers Hope for Unhoused Residents

The county is taking a ‘Housing First’ approach that prioritizes getting people into housing, then offering wraparound supportive services.

July 11 - Real Change

Aerial view of suburban housing near Las Vegas, Nevada.

Researchers Use AI to Get Clearer Picture of US Housing

Analysts are using artificial intelligence to supercharge their research by allowing them to comb through data faster. Though these AI tools can be error prone, they save time and housing researchers are optimistic about the future.

July 11 - Shelterforce Magazine

Green bike share bikes parked in a row on a commercial street with outdoor dining and greenery.

Making Shared Micromobility More Inclusive

Cities and shared mobility system operators can do more to include people with disabilities in planning and operations, per a new report.

July 11 - Cities Today