Pilot Project: Home Repairs and Health – An Evaluation of Philadelphia’s Basic Systems Repair Program

Do Simple Structural Home Repairs Improve the Health of Low-Income Philadelphians and Their Neighborhoods? An Evaluation of Philadelphia’s Basic Systems Repair Program
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Eugenia C. South, MD, MS  
CO-INVESTIGATORS: John MacDonald, PhD, MA; Vincent Reina, PhD, MSc, MBA
 

According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), millions of children, adults and elderly people across the country live in houses that are substandard. That means the buildings are in a state of advanced delapidation and without either operable plumbing, electricity, a safe source of heat, or a kitchen. There are more than 6 million dwellings like this and living in such structures is associated with a variety of health risks and poor outcomes. This project is focused on Philadelphia’s substandard housing and the local Basic Systems Repair Program (BSRP) that provides grants for the emergency repair of home structural, electrical, plumbing and heating system problems.