Housing Insecurity

Housing is an Important Social Influencer of Health

Housing insecurity, combined with other adverse events in childhood, can lead to an activation of the body's natural stress response. If adverse childhood experiences are not mitigated by the presence of stable and supportive relationships, they can lead to an exaggerated or toxic stress response. Evidence has shown that the effects of housing insecurity compound over time and with repeated instances.  This holds true not only for young children living through episodes of housing insecurity but also for those born to an individual who experienced housing insecurity during their pregnancy.

Facts about Housing Insecurity

  • The majority of family members facing insecurity are children and over half of them are under 6 years old.
  • Approximately 80% of Chicago residents facing housing insecurity are Black.

This page has resources for pediatricians to help mitigate and address child health risks associated with house insecurity with a specific focus on children ages 0 to 6 and pregnant persons.

ICAAP also runs the Collaborative on Child Homelessness Illinois (COCHI): Visit the COCHI Webpage

Leveraging Home Visit Programs in DuPage County

Information for Pediatricians

Father and daughter (18 months) walking up steps to house

Closing the Affordable Housing Gap: Interview by WBEZ Chicago in March 2023

Hear from ICAAP's Housing Committee Chair, Dr. Nancy Heil; ICAAP community expert, Amanda Henley; and Housing Action Illinois Policy Director, Bob Palmer, on how a lack of affordable housing can put a family's health at risk and how organizations and lawmakers are working to close the gap.

Listen to the Interview

First Steps Initiative: Improving Child Health and Housing

With the generous support of Otho S. A. Sprague Memorial Institute 
  • Fostering partnerships through the Collaborative on Child Homelessness - Illinois (COCHI).
  • Enhancing systems of care and linkages between pediatric primary care, early childhood, and housing providers.
  • Making recommendations on what data should be collected and tracked to better understand how homelessness and housing instability affect children and pregnant persons.
  • Improving the quality of care through health care and housing cross-sector education.
  • Establishing a model of care for pediatric patients facing housing insecurity.
  • Assuring that child health risks and health risks to pregnant persons are reflected in the prioritization of housing.

First Steps: Issue Brief and Policy Recommendations 2021

Learn More About the Health Risks to Children

Learn More About the Data Gaps

2021 Illinois Kids Count Report: Webinar from July 2021

First Steps pediatrician presents on poverty and housing.

Watch Now

Affordable Housing is a Crucial Part of our Nation's Infrastructure: Posted by Crain's Chicago Business in July 2021

Learn how by providing housing assistance, we can reduce poverty, increase stability for vulnerable households, and help avert homelessness.

Read the Article

Housing Insecurity Resources

5 Steps to care for children experiencing housing insecurity:

  1. Information on Housing Insecurity
  2. Golden Rule
  3. Schedule Adaptation
  4. Comprehensive Visits
  5. Resources

Models of Care:

Housing Referral Tool Flowchart