Does receipt of social housing impact mental health? Results of a quasi-experimental study in the Greater Toronto Area

Original research
par
Dunn, James R. et al

Date de publication

2024

Géographie

Canada

Langue de la ressource

English

Texte disponible en version intégrale

Oui

Open Access / OK to Reproduce

Oui

Évalué par des pairs

Yes

L’objectif

This study sought to determine if adults who received housing were more likely than a control group to show improvements in depression, psychological distress, and self-rated mental health after moving to housing.

Constatations/points à retenir

Adjusted mixed effects linear models showed that receiving housing resulted in significant decreases in psychological distress and self-rated mental health between the groups. Improvements in self-rated mental health between the groups were observed 6, 12 and 18 months after receiving housing (6 months, +2.9, p < 0.05; 12 months, +2.6, p < 0.05; 18 months, +3.0, p < 0.05). Reductions in psychological distress (−1.4, p < 0.05) were observed 12 months after receiving housing. Overall findings suggest that receiving subsidized housing improves mental health over a 6-to-18-month time horizon. This has policy and funding implications suggesting a need to reduce wait times and expand access to subsidized housing.

La conception ou méthodologie de recherche

This was a quasi-experimental, longitudinal study investigating the impacts of receiving social housing among a cohort of 502 people on waitlists for social housing in the Greater Toronto Area, Canada. Of the participants who completed at least one follow-up interview: 137 received social housing and 304 participants did not receive housing (control group).

Mots clés

Advocacy
Evidence base
Housing
Mental health
Policy/Regulatory
Poverty
Social services