Home, the heart of place

Chapter 8 asserts that housing is a pillar of well-being and explains how the housing situation for many people of color across America tells a story about inequity. Brian Smedley opens the chapter with a look at the nation’s shameful record of discrimination and disinvestment, which has concentrated poverty in so many communities of color today. Next, Lisa Dubay highlights the many strands of research at the intersection of health and housing. Assata Richards and Andre Perry both celebrate the resilience of communities of color and the often-unrecognized assets embedded there. Richards speaks to the cultural history that enriches a neighborhood and lifts up the ethical imperative of conducting research in ways that benefit the people being studied, while Perry looks at how Black communities have been devalued in the marketplace.