Federal housing subsidies are proving to be lifesaving interventions, according to research from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The study examined over 52,000 Medicare patients between ages 66 and 95 who received federal rental assistance, comparing them with those who didn’t get housing help.
The findings reveal that older adults using housing assistance had earlier cancer diagnoses for three common cancers: breast, lung, and colon. Earlier detection typically means easier treatment and better survival rates, suggesting housing aid directly saves lives while reducing healthcare costs.
Dr. Craig Pollack, the study’s lead author, explains that rental assistance gives people “the bandwidth” to focus on health, enabling annual screenings and prompt attention to symptoms that might otherwise be ignored when struggling to make rent.
Only about one in four eligible households actually receive federal housing assistance, leaving approximately 2.3 million low-income adults without support. Maryland’s ACIS program demonstrates housing’s health impact—formerly unhoused participants reduced emergency room visits by managing chronic conditions better once stably housed.
At Baltimore’s Basilica Place, 88-year-old Mary Wilkins credits her subsidized housing with contributing to her long life despite battling breast cancer, COVID-19, and vertigo. The building provides on-site service coordinators, monthly blood pressure screenings, and support services.
These programs now face threats from the Trump administration, including a $46 million cut to Maryland’s homelessness prevention funding that could displace over 4,000 residents, potentially reversing health gains achieved through stable housing.
See: “Federal housing subsidies can save lives. They’re at risk of being cut anyway.” (November 30, 2025)
