Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Housing and homelessness

Rural America at a Glance: 2023 Edition
Provides an overview of social and economic factors affecting rural America, with a focus on population migration, poverty, housing insecurity, and employment. Includes metro and nonmetro comparisons.
Additional links: Webinar
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
view details
Failing Septic Systems in Lowndes County, Alabama: Citizen Participation, Science, and Community Knowledge
Discusses sanitation infrastructure access in predominantly Black, rural Lowndes County, Alabama. Provides data on household demographics, sewage treatment type and availability, home ownership, and more. Discusses barriers to septic system installation, health risks of sewage exposure, and the significance of health equity for underserved communities.
Author(s): Elizabeth A. Albright, Catherine Coleman Flowers, Randall A. Kramer, Erika S. Weinthal
Citation: Local Environment, 29(2), 135-142
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
view details
Severe Housing Problems in Kentucky
Reports on severe housing problems in Kentucky using 2019 American Community Survey data. Compares rates of severe housing problems by property type and problems experienced, with breakdowns for urban, rural, and very rural areas. Also discusses the health impacts of inadequate housing and identifies areas for improvement.
Author(s): Joe Kercsmar
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Community & Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky
view details
Key Informant Perspectives on Rural Housing and Health
Summarizes findings from interviews with key informants from 27 national organizations and federal agencies regarding rural-specific barriers to housing and identifies three themes: availability, age and quality of housing stock, and affordability. Describes impacts of rural housing challenges on health. Discusses policy recommendations for addressing housing-related issues to improve rural health.
Author(s): Megan Lahr, Katie Rydberg, Madeleine Pick, Mariana Tuttle, Carrie Henning-Smith
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
view details
Houselessness and Syringe Service Program Utilization among People Who Inject Drugs in Eight Rural Areas Across the USA: A Cross-sectional Analysis
Examines the relationship between houselessness and syringe service program (SSP) use among people who inject drugs (PWID) in rural areas. Analyzes survey data from self-identified PWID across 10 states and explores data on PWID demographic profile, related drug use, proximity to SSPs, and more. Discusses housing instability in rural areas and potential barriers to SSP use.
Author(s): April M. Ballard, Dylan Falk, Harris Greenwood, et al.
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal, 20, 157
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
view details
Rural Housing, featuring David Lipsetz
An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring David Lipsetz, President and CEO of the Housing Assistance Council. Focuses on housing in rural communities, and the funding programs and organizations that support safe and affordable rural housing.
Date: 10/2023
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
view details
Action Guide: Partnering to Expand Access to Home Modifications, Repairs, and Weatherization for Community Living
Offers strategies for partnership building for improving accessibility and safety of existing homes for residents that are aging or have disabilities. Includes examples of successful partnerships across the country and discusses rural specific challenges.
Date: 09/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USAging
view details
Rural New York: Challenges and Opportunities
Provides comparative data for the 10 rural counties in New York. Discusses issues such as transportation, aging and overall declining population, shrinking labor force, and lack of access to adequate housing, food, healthcare, and broadband.
Author(s): Thomas P. DiNapoli
Date: 09/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of the New York State Comptroller
view details
Young Adult Homelessness: Options to Improve Employment and Housing Security
Discusses issues related to youth homelessness, such as the criminal justice system, foster care, education, lack of resources, underemployment, and experiences specific to rural areas. Provides policy options and examples that address youth homelessness.
Date: 09/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Conference of State Legislatures
view details
Rural Recovery Housing, with Ernie Fletcher and Erica Walker
An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring Governor Ernie Fletcher, co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of the Fletcher Group, and Erica Walker, Outreach and Engagement Specialist for the Fletcher Group. Focuses on recovery housing in rural communities and the different levels of support it can provide to help people healing from substance use disorders.
Date: 09/2023
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
view details