Housing Remediation as an Effective Intervention for Pediatric Asthma
One of the most well-documented consequences of substandard housing quality is asthma. The Green and Healthy Homes Initiative estimates that 40% of all asthma episodes are caused by preventable home-based asthma allergens, like dust, pests, and mold. Pediatric asthma episodes cause millions of dollars in unnecessary health care spending, keep kids home from school, and force parents to take time off of work to care for their children.
This issue-brief describes the impacts of asthma in Dallas and how home repair can better asthma outcomes, increase economic mobility, and improve the quality of life for children across Dallas. Key findings include:
- ~67K children in Dallas County (10%) have asthma.
- Black children in Dallas are diagnosed with asthma at more than double the rate of their White and Hispanic peers.
- Asthma is a leading cause of school absenteeism, and Dallas County students with asthma miss an estimated 109K school days annually. Their parents face $31M annually in lost wages to care for their children.
- Addressing in-home triggers, however, can significantly improve outcomes. In a Philadelphia program, home repairs led to a 90% reduction in overnight hospital stays for children with asthma.
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Community Resource Explorer
The CRE uses data to visualize the assets and disparities that exist within and across Dallas neighborhoods.
- Centered on the two-mile radius around each school, the CRE illustrates how well school communities are resourced and ongoing needs for investment.
- The CRE indexes all the community schools in Dallas and evaluates their resourcing across categories such as economics, education, family, health, and community while also giving historical context to the data we see.
Role of Junk Fees in the Dallas Rental Housing Market
During summer 2024, CPAL began to explore the role of junk fees in the rental housing market in Dallas.
- 56 out of 60 apartment complexes surveyed charged mandatory monthly fees (i.e., “junk fees”), in addition to the base rent.
- These fees cost renters, on average, $756 to $984 per year, further eroding housing affordability.
Dallas must get every penny of federal infrastructure funds
CPAL leadership will guide a working group aiming to maximize Dallas’ share of available federal infrastructure dollars.
- Dallas is eligible for an estimated $4 billion in formula funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act.
- The group will coordinate with officials to give voice to constituent concerns and leverage existing funds, with a goal to improve infrastructure across the city for future generations.