Survey: Pandemic-weary Parents Spend More Than Half Their Day Worried about Housing Study from affordable housing provider queried families nationwide on Covid- related housing and financial woes; results point to vulnerability of existing affordable housing and urgent need for more New York, NY— A new study conducted by The NHP Foundation (NHPF) found that over half of parents of school-age children in rental housing spend at least a few hours worrying about their housing situation as a result of the pandemic. In over one-third of cases, parents worry about housing for “most of the day.” NHPF undertook the study, From Financial Crisis to Coronavirus: Rental Housing Vulnerability in a Decade of Economic Turmoil to determine how today’s renters of affordable housing have been impacted by the pandemic as well as persistent racial inequities and a highly charged political environment. Many of these same renters may have also experienced economic duress during the 2009 financial crisis resulting in similar housing hardships. The findings are based on answers from 1,000 renters earning less than $75,000 per year with half of those surveyed earning less than $30,000 a year. Housing and emotional and physical well-being: • 58% of parents of school-age children in rental housing spend a minimum of a few hours worrying about their housing situation as a result of the pandemic. In over one-third of cases, (38%) the time spent is as much as “most of the day” • The greatest single worry for these parents is fear of contracting Covid-19 (41%) followed by affording rent (28%) • Political/social justice stressors impacted parents in the west the highest with 15% of those queried ranking it “most worrisome” Takeaway During this unprecedented time of uncertainty and fear, our findings of “high anxiety” about health support those of a recent Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) study showing that the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting economic recession have negatively affected many people’s mental health and created new barriers for those already suffering health problems.
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THE NHP FOUNDATION
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