Improving Education Opportunities and Outcomes with Affordable Housing

To a child, a home is much more than shelter. It is more than a place to eat and interact with family. For many children, their success in school starts with a stable and safe home. This is the case with all those pursuing an education. This correlation highlights the need for affordable housing to disrupt cycles of poverty and ensure all students have equal educational opportunities. 

Currently, the lack of affordable housing plagues many cities of America. For example, The Greater New Orleans Housing Alliance estimates the city needs an additional 33,000 affordable housing units. “More than 60 percent of renters in the city are cost burdened, meaning they spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing.” 

We’ve previously examined the impact of affordable housing can have on closing the income gap and health, but it’s also vital to look at how a lack of affordable housing can affect a child’s opportunities in school.

Decades of research shows us that housing impacts how a student does in school. Families without access to affordable housing are more likely to move more frequently. This might mean moving to a different neighborhood or moving to a different city or even state and therefore a different school system. Research by the Center for Housing Policy found the more times a student moved led to more “interruptions in instruction, excessive absenteeism, chaotic environments not conducive to studying, stress, disruptions of peer networks (for older children), and interference with the development of close, personal relationships (for younger children).” 

These are all factors that contribute to a child’s poor academic performance. Poor academic performance can lead to fewer educational opportunities, including pursuing a higher education at a college or university, and thereby fewer job opportunities in high-income fields. You can see how this would reinforce a cycle of poverty that could last for generations.

Ensuring there are more affordable housing options available to families in need is a step in the right direction. However, research shows us that it isn’t just about the actual unit but also about the location. A 2014 report from the National Housing Conference found that “Neighborhood, school district, job market, crime rates, and other characteristics of the location may be as important for households as the particular unit itself.” This provides more holistic community development, as well as access to resources that may prove useful in pursuing an education. 

The global pandemic and the shift to virtual learning has highlighted the lack of resources for low income families. This includes access to the internet, food, and stable environments--all of which are necessary for a student to succeed with remote learning. 

Recently, we have seen some steps in the right direction. In February, JPMorgan issued a social bond of $1 billion aimed at funding affordable housing development. Per an article in S&P Global, “the firm may allocate an amount equal to the net proceeds of the issuance to activities that promote economic development by financing small businesses in low- and moderate-income areas, affordable housing and projects that promote access to education and health care.”

Taking more actions like this to provide greater access to affordable housing means we are providing students with greater access to success in school and well beyond. Education can be a major key to breaking the cycle of poverty and affordable housing can help forge that key.

To see this principle in action, be sure to check out Seneca Communities and our work at senecacommunities.com