ArticleThe Milbank quarterly2026
Improving Population Health Through Housing Policy: Lessons From the Public Housing Program.
Article in The Milbank quarterly, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
Abstract
Policy Points Housing is a fundamental social determinant of health and is particularly amenable to policy intervention. Policies that seek to improve health should improve housing quality, affordability, and stability. The public housing program has improved health across the life course, but the structure of the program currently limits its applicability. Public housing can be adapted to foster policy innovation at the state level. A renewed public housing program should (1) serve a broader income spectrum; (2) integrate across levels of government; (3) capitalize on the social support benefits of project-based housing; (4) emphasize effective administration; and (5) develop funding sources less vulnerable to political shifts. CONTEXT: Housing is a fundamental social determinant of health and is particularly amenable to policy intervention. However, the nationwide housing affordability crisis presents significant challenges for leveraging housing policy to improve population health in the United States. The US public housing program began during the New Deal, but has changed considerably since the mid-20
methodsComparing the health impacts of US housing programs, public housing stands out as an unexpected success. Children in public housing experience better mental health, fewer emergency room visits, and greater housing stability. Adults report better physical and mental health, reduced risk of diabetes, and improved food security. However, recent federal housing policy has emphasized the tenant-centered housing voucher program at the expense of public housing.
findingsWhile the contemporary public housing program improves health and well-being across the life course, the early public housing program may offer lessons to improve outcomes in the 21
conclusionsHousing is particularly responsive to public housing, but current housing policies have proven insufficient to guarantee stable housing for all. The public housing program offers a promising way forward to leverage housing to address the US population health crisis.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.