The University of Michigan and the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) have just published a study in the Journal of Urban Health exploring the link between access to mortgage loans and improved neighborhood mental health. The research highlights the importance of housing investment in promoting community well-being.
“While most studies focus on how mortgage foreclosure affects individual mental health, our study looked at the broader community impact of mortgage access,” said lead researcher Dr. Liang Chen. “We specifically examined whether more mortgages in a neighborhood are linked to better mental health among residents.”
The study found that, in most of the 18 major U.S. metropolitan areas analyzed, neighborhoods with more mortgages issued reported better mental health outcomes. This connection likely stems from the social stability and financial security that homeownership provide, which helps reduce stress and anxiety. (While mental health conditions are linked to physical health outcomes and life expectancies, this research did not directly test those second-order effects.) Additionally, increased mortgage activity often leads to neighborhood improvements, such as better infrastructure, more green space, and community facilities—all of which boost social cohesion and well-being.
Using the newly available HMDA longitudinal dataset, a free-to-use resource which tracks mortgage lending data over decades, this study provides a foundation for future research.
“This is a pioneering study in this field of research which leverages the mortgage lending data over decades, in order to assess patterns,” said Dr. Bruce Mitchell, NCRC Principal Researcher and a co-author of the new study “We hope that public health researchers can gather further insights into the relationships between community well-being and housing using this dataset.”
The findings offer valuable insights for researchers, advocates, and policymakers looking to improve community mental health and reduce health disparities through better housing policies.
NCRC, the University of Michigan, and University of Richmond are engaged in a multiyear project assessing the associations of redlining and health from the National Institute of Aging at the National Institutes of Health under grant R01AG080401. The study is available upon request to the authors. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
Photo courtesy of Violette79 on Flickr.
