Many parents are not even aware that lead in and around their apartments and houses endanger their children's health. We estimate that 2.5 million IQ points will be lost to lead poisoning among children ages 1-5 in the United States. Between 41,000 and 107,000 children are homeless every night, with increased risk of violence, psychological disturbances, infections, poor vaccination rates, and poor school performance. The high cost of housing forces many parents to decide between paying for rent and heat and feeding their children. We estimate that 120,202 U.S. children ages 6 months to 6 years have iron deficiency anemia attributable to their families not receiving housing assistance.
Inadequate housing can tip fragile children with chronic diseases from health into sickness.
Children with such respiratory diseases as cystic fibrosis, immune disorders as AIDS, and complicated diseases as cancer are particularly vulnerable to the effects of poor housing. Selected Recommendations Quality housing should be considered a child health issue. As such, affordable and adequate housing through public housing units and certificates should be guaranteed to poor children and their families. The Section 8 housing voucher program should be significantly expanded to allow parents to find safe and affordable housing for their families. Vouchers should be targeted to the most poor families, who have the most to lose from inadequate housing and the most to gain from control over their environment.