Local Report Highlights Link Between Health, Housing

A press conference in Roxbury today will announce the release of a medical report that analyzes poor housing as a health issue threatening millions of children nationwide.

The report, entitled "Not Safe At Home: How America's Housing Crisis Threatens the Health of its Children," was written over the past year by eight pediatric residents at the Boston Medical Center and Children's Hospital.

"For us, this is just a first step," said Megan Sandel, one of the report's coauthors. "It's important that we look at housing as something that directly affects health, and that any policy that deals with housing take this into consideration."

Since January 1997, the physicians have been gathering medical articles and personal stories from around the country, many of which are summarized in the report.

"It's basically been during our spare time that we've been doing this," explained Josh M. Sharfstein '91, who is a former Crimson executive. "We went through stacks and stacks of articles, and picked the best."

The report's authors have identified asthma and respiratory diseases, injuries, lead poisoning, chronic disease and malnutrition as the most devastating effects of the housing crisis.

For example, they estimate more than 120,000 children between six months and six years of age suffer from iron deficiency anemia due to inadequate housing assistance. They also estimate exposure to cockroaches causes 17,849 hospitalizations each year for asthma among four to nine year olds.

Perhaps more starting than the statistics are the stories of some substandard housing residents and homeless families--several of whom will speak at today's press conference.

For example, one Boston doctor reported treating "siblings with severe allergies...[and] frequent hospital admissions....Since birth they lived in the same public housing apartment. Roach infestation is severe. When I pulled up their shirts in clinic to listen to their chests on one occasion, roaches fell from the clothing and scooted across the table."

Another Boston report described a family "bothered by the uncontrollable heat in [their apartment], which is directly above the boiler room. The temperature is always above 85 degrees....The surface of the floor is even hotter; the familymust wear shoes at all times to avoid burning thesoles of their feet."

According to the report, many families feeltrapped by their current situation because theylack the money to find better housing. Manytenants fear eviction or harassment by landlordsif they register complaints.

Sharfstein cited one case in which a mothersigned her three children over to Department ofSocial Services custody after the children testedpositive for high levels of lead contamination.After searching unsuccessfully for safer housing,she moved to a homeless shelter where she couldraise her children safely.

Among the report's recommendations areexpansions of housing assistance programs, medicalinsurance coverage of "asthma-related cleanup ofinadequate housing," and increasing theresponsibilities of housing proprietors.

"We're advocating the expansion of Section 8,in particular," said Sharfstein. A federalprogram, "Section 8 provides housing vouchers to1.5 million families. However, millions more areeligible for this program, and the waiting listfor assistance takes three years," he said.

Sharfstein hopes increased vouchers will helpeliminate some of the other barriers to safehousing.

"Some mothers who can't get housing are trappedliving with an abuser, because it's very hardliving in a homeless shelter," he said. "We can'tsolve domestic violence, but we can give peoplehousing options so that's not a barrier."

U.S. Senator John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) will bespeaking at tomorrow's press conference. Theleading Democrat on the Senate's Banking, Housing,and Urban Affairs Committee, he will probablydiscuss federal efforts to provide affordablehousing to low-income families. According toSharfstein, "He's been very supportive of ourefforts.

According to the report, many families feeltrapped by their current situation because theylack the money to find better housing. Manytenants fear eviction or harassment by landlordsif they register complaints.

Sharfstein cited one case in which a mothersigned her three children over to Department ofSocial Services custody after the children testedpositive for high levels of lead contamination.After searching unsuccessfully for safer housing,she moved to a homeless shelter where she couldraise her children safely.

Among the report's recommendations areexpansions of housing assistance programs, medicalinsurance coverage of "asthma-related cleanup ofinadequate housing," and increasing theresponsibilities of housing proprietors.

"We're advocating the expansion of Section 8,in particular," said Sharfstein. A federalprogram, "Section 8 provides housing vouchers to1.5 million families. However, millions more areeligible for this program, and the waiting listfor assistance takes three years," he said.

Sharfstein hopes increased vouchers will helpeliminate some of the other barriers to safehousing.

"Some mothers who can't get housing are trappedliving with an abuser, because it's very hardliving in a homeless shelter," he said. "We can'tsolve domestic violence, but we can give peoplehousing options so that's not a barrier."

U.S. Senator John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) will bespeaking at tomorrow's press conference. Theleading Democrat on the Senate's Banking, Housing,and Urban Affairs Committee, he will probablydiscuss federal efforts to provide affordablehousing to low-income families. According toSharfstein, "He's been very supportive of ourefforts.