The lack of quality affordable housing in Los Angeles County is linked to serious health problems, according to a report released Tuesday by the county.
Roughly 17 percent of adult county residents have struggled to pay their rent or mortgage, according to a county survey, and hundreds of thousands of households have potentially unhealthy or dangerous conditions including mold, rats, cockroaches or a lack of heat or hot water.
“The links between health and access to affordable, stable and safe housing are key to understanding adverse health outcomes among Los Angeles County residents,” said Cynthia Harding, interim director of the Department of Public Health. “Housing issues are linked to many health disparities.”
County researchers looked at affordability, stability and quality of available county housing, relying on a 2011 survey of residents and federal census data from 2008-2012.
They found that 1.2 million Angelenos were unable to pay or had to delay paying their rent at some point during the prior two years.
“A worker in Los Angeles County needs to earn $26.88 per hour to afford rent on a two-bedroom apartment. Meanwhile, the average renter earns only $18.53 per hour,” according to the report.
Many families who have trouble paying their rent also can’t afford healthy food or medical care.
The stress of constant financial pressure can also cause mental health problems. Frequent moves in search of an affordable home can cause depression, particularly in children, researchers said.
“Lacking a stable place to live increases levels of depression, anxiety and hopelessness. Housing instability is associated with behavioral issues in children as well as increases in teen pregnancy, drug use and depression in adolescents,” according to the report.
And some cannot find housing at all. Nearly 5 percent of adults living in the county have been homeless at some point during the last five years, according to the report.
In 2013, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority biannual count of homeless people estimated that 39,463 were living on the streets, but officials estimated that the number is more like 57,737 when taking into account the “hidden homeless” who may not be on the street but are instead camped out on a friend’s couch or in a motel room.
The full report is available online at www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.
— City News Service