Public Service Clinics Topics
Columbia Legal Services
Agency/Program Overview
Columbia Legal Services advocates for people living in poverty. We work to reveal and end actions that harm our client populations; we seek social and economic justice for them through systemic change. CLS provides legal assistance in the full array of civil justice forums to enable our clients to assert the rights and exercise the responsibilities inherent in a just society.
Specific Research Question
There are approximately 15,000 – 18,000 rental units in Seattle that have moderate to severe physical problems (American Housing Survey Seattle-Everett 2004). In 2007, the Seattle Department of Planning and Development (DPD) issued written housing code violation notices to approximately five hundred and fifty addresses. What are the negative health outcomes associated with substandard housing and what are the best approaches to improve substandard housing and improve health?
Additional Project Background
We would like various models of improving substandard housing to be evaluated to determine what model might be most effective in Seattle. Substandard housing can lead to poor health outcomes for tenants and increased health care costs. Currently, Seattle addresses these issues through a complaint based model. Many low-income, disabled, elderly or non-English speaking clients are not well served by this model. A recent report by the Cedar River Group commissioned by the Seattle reviewed some of the possible options in this area. We would like current literature regarding health consequences of substandard housing to be reviewed and an in-depth analysis of possible solutions. This could be done by reviewing current practices in Seattle and in other cities across the country or identifying other innovative approaches.
Key Steps
- Review current data, information or reports on substandard housing in Seattle.
- Review studies related to substandard housing and health.
- Review the current model used in Seattle .
- Analyze other models used across the country and investigate possible innovative approaches
- Create a report that summarizes the health risks and negative health outcomes associated with substandard housing and then reviews the models to determine what might be some of the best approaches for Seattle.
Additional Research Resources
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Healthy housing reference manual. Atlanta: US Department of Health and Human Services; 2006.
Wooton M, Ashley P. Residential Hazards: Asthma. Healthy Homes Initiative Background Information. US Dept. of HUD; 2000.
Huss K, Rand CS, Butz AM, et al. Home environmental risk factors in urban minority asthmatic children. Ann Allergy. 1994;72:173-7.
National Center for Healthy Housing. Comparing Green Building Guidelines and Healthy Homes Principles: A Preliminary Investigation. http://www.centerforhealthyhousing.org/html/green_analysis.html, accessed 7/23/06
Burridge R, Ormandy D. Unhealthy housing: research, remedies, and reform.
Chapman and Hall: London. 1993.
Healthy housing curriculum . (Healthy Homes Training Center and Network,
http://www.healthyhomestraining.org)
Fawcett SB, Paine-Andrews A, Francisco VT, Schultz JA, Richter KP, et al.
Evaluating community initiatives for health and development. In Evaluating Health Promotion Approaches, ed I Rootman, D McQueen, et al. Copenhagen, Denmark: WHO eur. 2000.
If you have questions about this topic or would like more information, please contact Merf Ehman, Managing Attorney.