Stable, Affordable Housing and Its Effects on Human Capital (Wealth, Health, and Education)
Abstract
This paper was written with the intent to inform or persuade policymakers and state and local officials on the topic of affordable housing. The guiding question in the below research asks what the effect stable, affordable housing has on three categories of human capital; Health, Wealth, and Education. The introduction reviews the history of housing including housing policy, the housing market, and the housing gap minorities face in America. Following the introduction is a literature review detailing the effects stable, affordable housing, or lack thereof, has on a household financial stability and wealth, physical and mental health, and education. Housing may be used as a catalyst for community change. The conclusion discusses policy recommendations that can affect that change by increasing access to affordable housing, closing the housing gap, and allowing low-income and minority households to build wealth and pursue opportunities for success.