In an opinion-editorial in the San Jose Spotlight, Wil Yu, CCA Health California’s General Manager, discusses the impact of housing insecurity on long-term health and well-being.
According to Yu, “At CCA Health California, we’ve seen firsthand the toll housing insecurity takes on our communities. Individuals at risk of losing their homes are forced to prioritize housing costs to avoid displacement, often at the expense of essentials such as food, medications and utilities. These financial challenges can lead to irreversible health damage through skipped or delayed care.”
To help address this issue, Yu suggests a few key steps, such as increasing awareness of the impact of housing insecurity on health, ensuring that information about social supports is culturally competent, and integrating community health workers into existing organizations to help identify those at risk for housing insecurity.
“The link between health and housing is strong. Continuous collaboration and communication between health care stakeholders and community organizations is a critical step in mitigating the negative implications of housing insecurity,” he says.