American Journal of Preventive Medicine Publishes Article on the Relationship Between Housing and Food Insecurity 

By Ella Izenour, NLIHC Opportunity Starts at Home Intern  

The American Journal of Preventive Medicine recently published an article, “Associations Between Housing Stability and Food Insecurity Among U.S. Low-Wage Workers,” examining the relationship between housing instability and food insecurity. Using data from a cohort of 969 low-wage workers in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Raleigh, North Carolina, collected between 2018 and 2022, the authors find that the previously observed predictive relationship between housing instability and food insecurity was disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic. This interruption appears to be linked to federal policy responses aimed at addressing housing and food insecurity from 2020 to 2022.   

The study identifies a negative association between housing instability and food insecurity during the pandemic period. These findings contrast with prior research that consistently links housing instability with increased food insecurity. The authors suggest that emergency housing and nutrition policies implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic helped mitigate these hardships. In particular, eviction moratoria are highlighted as a key intervention, as they protected households experiencing housing instability, disrupted the “rent eats first” phenomenon, and allowed families to allocate more resources toward food.  

Additionally, the federal pandemic response expanded and increased the flexibility of existing housing and nutrition assistance programs. SNAP enrollment and recertification requirements were relaxed, eligibility was expanded for Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents, and benefit levels were increased through emergency allotments. Other forms of relief, such as the expanded Child Tax Credit, were also associated with reductions in food insecurity during this period.  

The article concludes by calling for further research into the complex relationship between housing instability and food insecurity. The authors emphasize the effectiveness of COVID-19 relief programs in disrupting the link between these two forms of hardship and advocate for the expansion of federal nutrition assistance programs coordinated with housing interventions, such as eviction moratoria or rental assistance, to provide sustained protection against food and housing insecurity.  

Read the article here.   

To learn more about the intersection of housing and food security, read the OSAH fact sheet here.