Catalyzing a Movement to Produce Greater Public, Private, and Civil Resources to Improve Housing Conditions Through Home Repair Programs

The deterioration and loss of America’s housing is a threat to the health, safety, security, and financial well-being of millions of low-income residents. Researchers link substandard housing to health problems, as well as to financial hardship, energy insecurity, disaster vulnerability, social isolation, and neighborhood instability. Today, housing quality is even more urgent given the national housing affordability crisis. To explore whether and when home repair and improvement programs interact with each other and how they can align to better serve eligible households, the authors hosted a series of invitation-only, virtual convenings in May 2024. The paper reviews the range of evidence regarding contemporary US housing conditions and physical performance, the effectiveness of home repairs, and the current landscape of public- and civil-sector programs that provide repairs and the evolving advocacy that has established these programs.