Adriana and Amy welcome Jessica Andino to the show to discuss affordable housing and its impact on health and well-being. Jessica is a current PhD student at the University of Iowa and also serves as the executive director of the Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition.

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Adriana Kotchkoski:

Hello everyone and welcome back to From the Front Row. Safe and stable housing is important for maintaining good health and well-being, and today we have Jessica Andino on the show to talk with us about affordable housing right here in Iowa City and beyond. Jessica is a current PhD candidate in the Department of Community and Behavioral Health. She also recently took the role of the executive director of the Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition. We’re excited to have her on the show today, discuss what the role entails.

I’m Adriana Kotchkoski, co-hosting today’s episode with Amy Wu, and if you’re new here, welcome. We’re a student-run podcast that talks about major issues in public health and how they’re relevant to anyone, both in and outside the field of public health. Welcome to the show, Jessica, and I’ll pass it off to Amy to ask our first question.

Amy Wu:

Hi, Jessica. Can you tell us a little bit about your role as the executive director of the Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition?

Jessica Andino:

Yeah, thanks for having me guys. I just started this opportunity at the beginning of the month and I’m ready to get going on it. I took over the position from the amazing Sarah Baron, who is a very large supporter and community advocate for all housing needs in the area. I definitely have some big shoes to fill there, but at the Coalition, it’s our mission to increase access to affordable housing for low-income people in Johnson County through advocacy, education, and partnerships. There are 11 municipalities in Johnson County and also many rural areas that we work with. It’s our vision that every resident of Johnson County live in a safe, decent, and stable, affordable housing, and also in the neighborhood of their choice. It’s my job to work in partnership with other non-profits, government agencies, homeowners, renters, landlords, and other community organizations to push our mission forward.

Adriana Kotchkoski:

Yeah, that sounds like it’s really important. Can you speak more to how housing impacts people’s health and why what you’re doing is so important?

Jessica Andino:

Yeah, so people’s homes can have a major impact on their wellbeing, so it’s considered a social determinant of health and public health. Some suffer due to their physical environments related to their home, such as if their home has problems with like lead paint, radon, or even secondhand smoke, which can cause obviously serious health issues. Other homes aren’t accessible to people with disabilities or older adults, which can also have major health consequences. Neighborhoods where people live can also affect their health, whether it’s having good walkability or just a sense of safety. All aspects of housing can affect one’s health throughout their life course from being a baby throughout adulthood.

So for that reason, Healthy People 2020 actually has objectives related to housing and health with the goal of promoting healthy and safe home environments for everyone. When families spend a large part of their income on housing, they may not have enough money to pay for things like healthy food, recreational activities that support physical health, medications, or healthcare. Oftentimes, I like to say rent eats first for many families, so once their paychecks go towards mortgage or towards rent, what they have left over the month needs to be spread to all those different necessities. This then may be linked to increased stress, mental health problems, or even an increased risk of other diseases.

Amy Wu:

Awesome. Thanks for describing and explaining how people’s housing can impact their health and how it is related to social determinants of health. I’m wondering specifically in the Iowa City area what you think the biggest problem impacting housing affordability is in general.

Jessica Andino:

In order for housing to be affordable, a household should be spending no more than 30% of their total monthly income on housing-related costs. We use the term cost burdened to describe when a household spends more than 30% of income on housing. When our housing costs rise above 30%, we can’t afford those other basic needs that I mentioned earlier. Families may be also extremely cost burdened if they’re spending over 50% of their income on housing-related costs. So for example, in Johnson County, 18% of homeowners and 61% of renters are considered cost burdened by their housing, but it’s no surprise that Iowa City is very expensive. With Iowa City having the highest fair market rent in all the state. We have seen an increase in rents and an increase in pricing of houses during the pandemic. During that time and for decades before, the cost of housing has increased at a rate not equal to wages.

We have many working class families and students in the area whom cannot afford to live here, but they are essential to our community. Personally, I believe legislation is a key component of affordable housing as a rules and regulations to be abided by for renters, landlords, and homeowners comes from the state. All individuals should be protected from predatory practices when it comes to their homes. However, I believe there could be more done at the state level to actually make this happen. There’s been pushback from the state and other interest groups from proposed legislation such as the policy that the city of Iowa City had prior, which included housing choice vouchers, or better known as Section Eight vouchers, as part of renters’ qualified income that no longer is actually the case. Working with some legislators is tough, but we’re going to continue to push forward for fair housing laws.

Adriana Kotchkoski:

Yeah. Speaking to that, are there any specific policies in place such as like outdating zoning laws that prevent people from finding homes, especially in Iowa City?

Jessica Andino:

That’s a great question. So I believe the best thing that was recently done specific to that question was completed by the city and it was rescinding the affordable housing location model policy. So this is a policy that was adopted in 2011 by the city council to determine where new housing assisted with city funds could be located. It was implemented with really good intentions, however, developers were limited in where they could put affordable housing, and then we ended up with not enough housing units for our residents. Any policy that limits the supply of housing then can ultimately drive up rents for others looking for housing. The expansion of supply is key, and there are a few other specific district programs in the area that do this such as the South District program. It includes the purchase of 11 different duplexes by the city of Iowa City, so 22 affordable units that are going to be renovated by individuals in training programs and then sold to income qualified residents of those neighborhoods.

I think maybe this model could be used in other areas of the city as well. Another district program that’s used is at the river crossing zone. This area, if you’re not aware, is that area primarily between Burlington Street and South running alongside the river and up to about Gilbert Street. The current ordinance requires any development containing 10 or more dwelling units on that land zoned in Riverfront Crossing to provide affordable housing units in the amount of at least 10% of the total dwellings for 10 years. This can be achieved by a variety of ways. Onsite owner occupied affordable housing, onsite affordable rental housing, a fee in lieu of contribution to affordable housing trust fund, offsite affordable housing, or even land contribution. A hot topic right now is a fee in lieu of area as some developers have chosen this route. Currently, fee in lieu of payments are restricted for use within the Riverfront Crossing District and haven’t been utilized. There are many discussions with City Council right now regarding this policy, and you should stay informed and check it out.

Adriana Kotchkoski:

Speaking about the available of housing, I’m not sure if you heard of, but the University of Iowa is currently looking to sell one residence hall here on campus, the Mayflower Residence Hall, and in its place they’re looking to put a new residence hall maybe on the east side of campus, but this residence hall is laid to be smaller and also not just directed at first year students. What do you think the effect will be on students and also the community?

Jessica Andino:

We never like to see a decrease in the number of units in our area because it ultimately, as I said before, can impact the price of units that are still in the area. It’s sad to see that so many units are actually going to be drastically reduced by removing students from Mayflower. I hope that the university really thinks about the overall consequences, not only for students but for the entire community when they put these policies in place. I also hope that not having Mayflower associated with the university will provide more units for affordable housing for other community residents as well.

Amy Wu:

So yeah, we’ve been addressing some housing issues on the more local level in Iowa City, so I’m wondering if you have any thoughts on shifting to a more holistic care model and what you think the role of hospitals and other health providers have in ensuring affordable housing.

Jessica Andino:

I think it starts with just asking the right questions when you’re in a clinical setting. I believe questions related to housing should be a requirement of healthcare providers. It shouldn’t be an afterthought. With housing being a social determinant of health, we should be having providers ask about housing quality and stability at each appointment.

Adriana Kotchkoski:

So you see it as more of something you ask like during the intake process. So when they take insurance, et cetera, they should also ask about questions regarding housing. Do you think that would be beneficial?

Jessica Andino:

I believe so. I also think another role for hospitals should be to partner with local agencies that provide stable housing for individuals, especially ones that are suffering from mental health issues. One policy that I believe should be supported in this realm is permanent supportive housing with housing first programs. Housing first is policy that offers unconditional and permanent housing as quickly as possible for people who are suffering homelessness and other supportive services afterwards. I don’t believe there should be any prerequisites such as not suffering from substance use disorder or taking lifestyle courses or other requirements to obtain a safe place to live.

Adriana Kotchkoski:

Speaking to that, so as we all know, housing instability is often tied to mental health issues with each problem worsening the other. How can public health professionals work together to remedy these issues? And do you know any other specific organizations in place in the Iowa City area or other areas who are tackling this issue?

Jessica Andino:

Specifically to the Iowa City area, we have an agency called the Guidelink Center, and it’s a community initiated collaborative effort led by Johnson County Board of Supervisors. It’s a designated welcoming space where they have experienced staff 24/7. That includes a rapid assessment, triage, stabilization, and other follow-up resources for individuals that require their help. It’s their mission to provide immediate care for adults facing emotional, mental health or substance use challenges. I think as public health professionals, we need to make sure that we are collaborating with all areas, which includes healthcare, housing, social services, and bringing in other community leaders to assist our residents.

Amy Wu:

What other housing interventions have you seen in the United States or abroad that you would like to see here in Iowa City?

Jessica Andino:

I believe that any intervention that we implement should also look at long-term housing options. Though the majority that we’ve seen are just short-term options. They should also include other service areas such as employment assistance, mental healthcare assistance, child assistance, and other needs that these families may have unmet.

Adriana Kotchkoski:

That’s a really good point. I think a lot of times we look at problems and a lot of our approaches are more downstream, just little, just band-aids on the problem, and if we don’t really focus on the root of the issue, we’ll never really, we’ll never be able to truly solve this problem and improve the healthiness of our communities. What was one thing you thought you knew but were later wrong about? And it could be really affordable housing or just life in general.

Jessica Andino:

I guess this can resonate with most students. When I was 18, I thought I knew exactly what I wanted to do, and it has completely changed. I’m so fortunate to have my current opportunity as the executive director at the Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition, but that’s not exactly what I thought I’d be doing in life. So I guess I was wrong, but it turns out to be right.

Amy Wu:

Well, awesome. Thanks so much, Jessica. This was a really insightful look, not only into what your job entails, but also the innovative measures that can be taken to improve housing access here in our community. Thanks.

Jessica Andino:

Thank you.

Adriana Kotchkoski:

Thank you.

Anya Morozov:

And that’s it for our episode this week. Big thanks to Jessica Andino for joining us today, and congratulations on your new role with the Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition. This episode was hosted by Adriana Kotchkoski and Amy Wu, written by Adriana Kotchkoski and Anya Morozov, and edited and produced by Anya Morozov. You can learn more about the University of Iowa College of Public Health on Facebook, and our podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and SoundCloud.

If you enjoyed this episode and would like to help support the podcast, please share it with your colleagues, friends, or anyone interested in public health. Have a suggestion for our team? You can reach us at cph-gradambassador@uiowa.edu. This episode was brought to you by the University of Iowa College of Public Health. Until next week, stay healthy, stay curious, and take care.