Impact: Why Home Matters

Homeownership transforms lives. Learn about the outcomes associated with homeownership and how Durham Habitat makes an impact beyond the home.

HOW DOES HOUSING AFFECT ENERGY EFFICIENCY?

Families with low incomes face the double burden of high costs for housing and energy despite the tendency to consume less energy. Almost 70% of households with low incomes face a high energy burden. Offering energy-efficient homes to these households can reduce both greenhouse gas emissions and the homes’ energy costs and resulting energy burden. Read Evidence Brief: How Does Housing Affect Energy Efficiency?

HOW DOES HOMEOWNERSHIP CONTRIBUTE TO CIVIC AND SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT?

Homeownership promotes social and civic engagement, as housing stability and financial investment in a neighborhood facilitate the creation of social connections and motivation to improve the community through civic engagement activities. Read Evidence Brief: How Does Homeownership Contribute to Civic and Social Engagement?

HOW DOES HOUSING IMPACT CHILDREN’S EDUCATION?

The location and condition of a child’s house plays a significant role in their physical, cognitive and emotional development and well-being, which impacts their education through improved attendance, better cognitive and behavioral health, and improved academic achievement. Making direct connections between housing and its impact on children’s education is challenging. However, studies have drawn a pathway between owning a decent, affordable and stable home and experiencing positive educational outcomes. Read Evidence Brief: How Does Housing Impact Children’s Education?

HOW DOES HOUSING IMPACT HEALTH?

Social determinants of health are factors that encompass how people are born, grow, live, work and age and that affect their health outcomes. These include aspects that range from socioeconomic status to the neighborhood and physical environment and are recognized by multiple health care organizations and other groups as necessary for improving overall health and reducing health disparities. Read Evidence Brief: How Does Housing Impact Health?

WHO HAS ACCESS TO HOMEOWNERSHIP?

Homeownership creates long-lasting and life-changing impact on families and communities, from providing a source of wealth and asset-building to influencing health and educational outcomes and contributing to positive community development. The first step in bringing homeownership to more families, however, is to understand who currently has access to homeownership and what factors play a role. Read Evidence Brief: Who has Access to Homeownership?

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF HOMEOWNERSHIP?

Improving affordable homeownership leads to numerous outcomes that extend beyond the house, such as greater economic stability, access to quality education, increased civic and social engagement, better health, and a reduced environmental footprint. This evidence brief provides an overview of how families can prosper with greater access to decent, affordable housing. Read Evidence Brief: What are the Benefits of Homeownership?

HOW DOES HOMEOWNERSHIP CONTRIBUTE TO WEALTH BUILDING?

Homeownership promotes wealth building by acting as a forced savings mechanism and through home value appreciation. Wealth building hinges on the houseowners’ ability to build home equity. Low-income households and households of color have limited access to homeownership due to barriers that include limited supply of affordable housing, restricted access to credit and systematic inequities. Learn about key factors to building home equity and ways that Durham Habitat encourages wealth building. Read Evidence Brief: How Does Homeownership Contribute to Wealth Building?

HOW DO RACIAL INEQUITIES LIMIT HOMEOWNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES?

Black and Hispanic/Latino households face unique barriers to homeownership that prevent access to the beneficial outcomes associated with homeownership, such as wealth building, improved health and higher educational attainment. Historically, structural and institutional obstacles faced by racial and ethnic minorities compounded over time to produce these inequities. This evidence brief explores how racial inequities limit homeownership opportunities and outcomes related to homeownership, such as health and education. Read Evidence Brief: How Do Racial Inequities Limit Homeownership Opportunities?