New Data Show Rental Assistance Improves Food Security

New research exploring the connections between housing and food security finds that residents receiving rental assistance were less likely to experience food insecurity and consumed more nutritious foods than residents on rental assistance waitlists. The study draws on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, as well as HUD housing data about individuals who received rental assistance between 1999 and 2016. “The U.S. is experiencing a severe housing affordability crisis, resulting in households having to make difficult trade-offs between paying for a place to live and basic health necessities such as food,” write the authors. “Rental assistance may mitigate these strains, improving food security and nutrition.” Read the study here.