Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Housing and homelessness

Advancing Equity Through the American Rescue Plan
Report outlining the implementation of the American Rescue Plan in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and impacts on equity. Covers financial security for families, communities, and business; housing support; investments in education; and efforts to address health disparities. Describes rural efforts throughout.
Date: 05/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: The White House
view details
How Internal Wealth Influences Communities' Prospects Post-Covid
Examines county-level asset income of 15 community types in the U.S. as defined by the American Communities Project. Discusses issues such as unemployment, income inequality, child poverty, housing, and residential segregation in relation to COVID-19 impacts. Includes a tool to search asset income by county.
Author(s): Dante Chinni, Ari Pinkus
Date: 05/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Communities Project
view details
After Two Years of Covid, Economic and Health Woes Persist in Diverse North Carolina Counties
Compares urban Mecklenburg County with rural Anson County and the differing impacts of COVID-19 on the areas. Discusses income, employment, housing, residential segregation, and the availability of hospital beds for COVID-19 treatment in the North Carolina counties.
Author(s): Ari Pinkus, Dante Chinni
Date: 05/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Communities Project
view details
Michigan's Roadmap to Healthy Communities Phase I: 2022-2024
Outlines a plan to address the social determinants of health (SDOH) to advance equity, provide social and economic opportunities, and improve health outcomes in Michigan. Discusses the collaborative process and partnerships that target improvements in housing, food security, health equity, data strategies, and more. Includes initiatives focused on rural areas.
Date: 04/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
view details
The Justice Gap: The Unmet Civil Legal Needs of Low-Income Americans
Reports on civil legal needs experienced by low-income Americans who do not seek professional legal help and the paths they take when facing civil legal problems. Includes information on legal needs related to healthcare access and other issues that impact health, such as housing and COVID-19. Provides details for specific groups, including rural residents, seniors, veterans, people with disabilities, parents of children under 18, and domestic violence survivors.
Additional links: Executive Summary, Full Report, Special Focus Rural
Date: 04/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Legal Services Corporation
view details
Addressing Social Determinants of Health: Examples of Successful Evidence-Based Strategies and Current Federal Efforts
Provides an overview of efforts to address social determinants of health (SDOH) that impact people of color, LGBTQ+ persons, individuals living in rural areas, and people with disabilities. Discusses housing, food and nutrition, transportation, social and economic mobility, and social service connections in terms of community (upstream) and individual (downstream) SDOH impacts.
Author(s): Amelia Whitman, Nancy De Lew, Andre Chappel, et al.
Date: 04/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
view details
Bridging the Urban-Rural Divide in Chronic Disease Through Community Engagement in Health Program Delivery
Discusses health disparities in rural versus urban communities in North Carolina and possible solutions for community-centered change. Includes charts and maps that detail rural-urban differences in mortality, heart disease, and housing problems.
Author(s): Lori Carter-Edwards, Monica M. Taylor
Citation: North Carolina Medical Journal, 83(2), 103-106
Date: 03/2022
Type: Document
view details
USDA Rural Housing Programs: An Overview
Outlines housing programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Rural Housing Service (RHS) and targeted specifically to residents of rural communities. Describes trends related to Section 502 Direct and Guaranteed Loans. Highlights policy proposals regarding multifamily housing preservation and the administration of rural housing programs. Includes information on the appropriations of rural housing programs between fiscal years 2017-2021.
Date: 03/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
view details
An Update on Maturing Mortgages in USDA's Section 515 Rural Rental Housing Program
Examines changes in the USDA's Section 515 housing availability between 2016 and 2021 to report the availability of properties eligible for USDA rental assistance for rural households and communities. Includes maps showing locations of USDA Section 515 housing properties, charts explaining housing trends, and additional information about low-income housing.
Author(s): Michael Feinberg
Date: 03/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Housing Assistance Council
view details
They Built My Soul: A Qualitative Analysis of the Impacts of Home Repairs in Rural Tennessee
Reports results of 28 interviews with rural Tennessee residents who received housing repairs from the Appalachia Service Project, a nonprofit ministry focused on housing improvement. Identifies discussion themes and comments related to environmental risk, physical health, mental health, financial well-being, and willingness to receive assistance from service organizations. Discusses housing as a social determinant of health, and highlights rural and Appalachian housing and health needs.
Author(s): Bethesda O'Connell, Ada Sloop, Nicole Intagliata, Melisa Miller, Megan Quinn
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 4(1), 9-19
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
view details