Climate-smart affordable homes have powerful impacts on individual and collective human health.
As rapid population growth and urbanisation create massive demand for new homes in Africa and Asia. The opportunity to improve health through climate-smart affordable housing is huge.
Human health is greatly affected by housing
Globally, 2.1 billion people lack safe water at home, and 2.3 billion people lack basic sanitation facilities, with direct negative impacts on their health and wellbeing. Overcrowded, low quality slum housing can drastically increase exposure to infectious disease and chance of injury. Good health, both physical and mental, is essential for sustainable development. Human health is greatly affected by housing conditions, a connection made ever more paramount in the context of Covid-19.
Reall’s housing projects offer cleaner, safer living environments that translate into widespread improvements in health. Safe, quality housing that is affordable for people living on low incomes can help families feel more secure and peaceful, which leads to healthy social interactions, a better daily routine and improved mental health. Housing fosters an increased sense of stability and empowerment through tenure security.
For the 1.2 billion people who currently lack the most basic necessities, such as toilets, hand washing facilities, space and access to medical care, affordable homes lead to healthier populations that reduce the burden on weaker health systems.
Reall households have demonstrated increases of up to 80% in subjective health as a direct impact of moving into improved, affordable housing. Projects provided a healthier, pollution-free environment, from which children particularly benefit, with reduced illnesses and safer areas to play outside.
As rapid population growth and urbanisation create an unprecedented demand for new homes in Africa and Asia, the opportunity to improve public health and pandemic resilience through the delivery of affordable housing at scale is huge.
Reall has proven that climate-smart affordable housing is an investable proposition that kick-starts emerging economies while having a transformative impact on human health and well-being.
Ben Atkinson
Programme Lead – Data and Evidence