The Rent Eats First: A Multi-Methods Study of Emergency Rental Assistance and Food Insecurity

Start Date: June 2023

ID #: 283-5108

Principal Investigator: Eliana Perrin, MD, MPH, and Kathryn Leifheit, PhD, MSPH

Organization: Johns Hopkins University

Funding Round: ARPA2

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Forty-six billion dollars in Federal Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) during the COVID-19 pandemic may have bolstered food budgets by alleviating housing costs, yet impacts on household food insecurity (FI) and other health outcomes are unknown. This study will investigate to what extent ERA programs led to reductions in household FI or other key improvements such as caregiver mental health and child preventative care. This study will also test for differential impacts by race and ethnicity, and will elicit narratives on the experience of securing ERA and the impacts of ERA on FI, dietary practices, caregiver mental and phyiscal health, and child preventative care.

Age Groups: Adolescents (grades 9 to 12), Adults and Families, Elementary-age children (grades K to 5), Pregnant women, infants and toddlers (ages 0 to 2), Preschool-age children (ages 3 to 5), Young adolescents (grades 6 to 8)

States: California, Maryland, National

Keywords: Diet quality/dietary assessment, Equity and disparities, Food insecurity, Housing, Law/policy, Poverty & economic well-being, Rural, Urban

Focus Areas: Food Access, Healthy Communities

Resource Type: Grant Summary

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