Housing Circumstances are Associated with Household Food Access among Low-Income Urban Families

Abstract

Household food insecurity is a pervasive problem in North America with serious health consequences. While affordable housing has been cited as a potential policy approach to improve food insecurity, the relationship between conventional notions of housing affordability and household food security is not well understood. Furthermore, the influence of housing subsidies, a key policy intervention aimed at improving housing affordability in Western countries, on food insecurity is unclear. We undertook a cross-sectional survey of 473 families in market rental (n=222) and subsidized (n=251) housing in high-poverty urban neighborhoods to examine the influence of housing circumstances on household food security. Food insecurity, evident among two thirds of families, was inversely associated with income and after-shelter income. Food insecurity prevalence did not differ between families in market and subsidized housing, but families in subsidized housing had lower odds of food insecurity than those on a waiting list for such housing. Market families with housing costs that consumed more than 30% of their income had increased odds of food insecurity. Rent arrears were also positively associated with food insecurity. Compromises in housing quality were evident, perhaps reflecting the impact of financial constraints on multiple basic needs as well as conscious efforts to contain housing costs to free up resources for food and other needs. Our findings raise questions about current housing affordability norms and highlight the need for a review of housing interventions to ensure that they enable families to maintain adequate housing and obtain their other basic needs.

High vulnerability to household food insecurity in a sample of Canadian renter households in government-subsidized housing

“…We tried to account for some of the unobserved heterogeneity in the programs by including afterrent income in the analyses, but this would only have accounted for monetary differences in the subsidy. The high prevalence of food insecurity found in this sample is consistent with previous studies that comprised households living in public housing, 16,17 but to our knowledge there is no examination of food insecurity status among households benefiting from other types of social housing program in Canada. Future research should evaluate different types of social housing program in relation to household food insecurity to better inform programs' development.…”

“…Although the high rates of food insecurity found in this study reflect the selection of vulnerable populations into social housing programs, 16,27 the pervasiveness of food insecurity revealed, nonetheless, extreme experiences of material hardship among recipients. Social housing programs were never designed to address household food insecurity; yet, the magnitude of the problem in this sample is an unpromising statement about the programs' ability to foster material well-being.…”

“…14,15 However, two studies that have assessed the household food insecurity status of public housing residents living in low-income Toronto neighbourhoods 16 and Inuit communities 17 revealed extreme levels of food insecurity, suggesting that social housing programs may provide insufficient assistance to support household food security. Yet, there has been no confirmation of these study findings at a population level, nor any analysis to elucidate the determinants of food insecurity among social housing program recipients.…”

Including the Voices of Communities in Food Insecurity Research: An Empowerment-based Agenda for Food Scholarship

“…The mainstream literature on food insecurity has sought to define and operationalize the term, estimate its prevalence, and examine how it interacts with other problems of poverty (Brown, Noonan, & Nord, 2007;Coleman-Jensen, 2010;De Haen, Klasen, & Qaim, 2011;Nord, Finberg, & McLaughlin, 2009). Studies affirm-several times over-the relationship between food insecurity, income, housing, fuel prices, the economy, and the presence of social support networks (De Marco, 2007;Kirkpatrick & Tarasuk, 2011;Ruel, Garrett, Hawkes, & Cohen, 2010;Webber & Rojhani, 2010). We know that food insecurity is tied to socioeconomic problems such as poverty, ill health, lack of school, and as such coordinated efforts are needed to address these problems together.…”

Future Food System Research Priorities: A Sustainable Food Systems Perspective from Ontario, Canada

“…The first seeks to conceptualize the intersections between housing insecurity and food access (Kirkpatrick & Tarasuk, 2011). With a focus on vulnerable subpopulations living in social housing, this project explores opportunities for food access that offer fresh food and school supplies in addition to pantry items, and allow clients to choose; urban food market pilot projects established in seven underserviced social housing communities; innovative initiatives aimed at urban gleaning and augmenting the urban foodscape; as well as new regional initiatives such as a proposed food hub.…”