A recent article in the New York Times highlights the connections between the national lack of affordable housing and increased exposure to unsafe, record-breaking temperatures for many Americans. The article, “The Heat Crisis Is a Housing Crisis,” shows how a lack of access to indoor cooling measures is one of the primary causes contributing to deaths related to heat, which is associated with the highest rate of fatalities of all extreme weather events. While some cities require that landlords provide tenants with air-conditioning, most housing codes require only that landlords provide heat. Along with tenant protections that require landlords to provide cooling devices, measures should be passed to improve building energy efficiency so that use of air conditioning does not result in unaffordable energy bills. Increased federal funding for affordable housing programs is also essential, as high housing costs make it harder for low-income households to afford other basic needs, including utility costs. Learn more about the connections between the environment and affordable housing by reading an Opportunity Starts at Home fact sheet here.