How Unstable Housing Affects Maternal Health

Housing instability is one of the most devastating challenges a pregnant woman can face. For many pregnant women, eviction and homelessness aren’t temporary setbacks. They’re situations resulting from systemic discrimination and a lack of support that make it extremely difficult to recover, especially while caring for their maternal health. Housing is more than a roof overhead. It is a foundation for health, opportunity, and a secure environment that directly impacts the physical and mental well-being of both the mother and baby. 

Pregnant mothers with uncertain housing may have to juggle multiple priorities such as eviction, safety, and even getting food on the table. Therefore, maternal health can become just one of the many urgent concerns. As a result, prenatal care may be inadequate or even missed, increasing the risk of complications during pregnancy, birth, and overall health of both the mother and baby. 

The mental toll is equally serious. Housing insecurity can also cause women to suffer from mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and higher stress, leading to health crises for them and their children. These heightened stressors and emotional challenges, when combined with the intense hormonal and physical changes that occur during pregnancy, create an overwhelming burden that can be incredibly difficult to overcome. On top of these roadblocks women face prenatally, the roadblocks they may face postnatally can be even larger, such as postpartum depression. Postpartum depression affects many mothers, even ones with stable housing. For those facing homelessness or unsafe living conditions, often with little to no access to mental health services or support systems, the effects can be even more detrimental to both the mother and baby.

The consequences of unstable housing don’t just affect the mother. They deeply affect the baby as well. Research shows that evictions during pregnancy were directly associated with prematurity and low birth weight. These effects continue with the child if they continue to experience housing instability through their infantry, and is associated with problem behavior in early childhood. This can alter the baby’s emotional regulation, verbal abilities, academic achievement, and even increase the risk of chronic disease. These babies are exposed to a form of toxic stress in such a crucial time of development, which not only contributes to long-term health effects, but also sets them up to continue the cycle as they grow up.

Every human needs a safe and secure place to call home. This isn’t just a social issue, but a health and human right imperative. Stable housing provides a new world of opportunity for prenatal, mental health, and postpartum depression care for mothers. It secures critical development and healthcare for the babies as well, and sets them up for success. Providing adequate housing offers hope, healing, and the possibility of breaking generational cycles.

At VASWFC, we recognize the deep connection between housing and maternal health. That’s why we work with pregnant women and mothers in unstable housing conditions to create real, sustainable change. In our Manassas Home and Haymarket Home, we house women and families in crisis to offer stability during pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and as they continue on to become independent. Our program also incorporates classes such as financial literacy, English, and parenthood courses to help women gain control over their lives. It also includes therapy sessions for mothers who might’ve come from traumatic, hard pasts, aiming to support and care for both the mothers and their children. By addressing housing and mental health alongside maternal care, VAFSW helps break the cycle of instability and empowers women to care for themselves and their children with security and hope.