Housing affordability, quality, and stability are deeply intertwined with health outcomes across Boston, with residents in high-cost or substandard housing facing elevated risks of chronic stress and illness. The Boston Public Health Commission’s recent Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) highlights that addressing housing insecurity is essential to advancing health equity and reducing disparities in life expectancy and disease burden across neighborhoods. This session will focus on the intersection of housing and health, emphasizing how stable, equitable housing is essential to the holistic well-being of people and the communities in which they reside.
OCCE presents the Discovery Service and Justice Lecture Series, inspired by the Boston Public Health Commission’s recent Community Health Needs Assessment. This series will explore four critical themes shaping community health: Housing (affordability, quality, and homelessness), Economic Mobility (including income inequality and employment), Healthy Food Access and Food Security, and Access to Care. In alignment with Harvard Medical School’s mission to alleviate suffering and improve health and well-being for all through excellence in teaching, discovery, and service, each session will foster dialogue around the systemic forces impacting individuals and communities. Our first session will focus on the intersection of housing and health, emphasizing how stable, equitable housing is essential to the holistic well-being of people and the communities in which they reside.