--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They have shown that problems endemic to…" description: "\"“They have shown that problems endemic to poverty—residential instability, severe deprivation, concentrated neighborhood disadvantage, health dispariti..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/147/matthew-desmond-1529_affordable-housing_they-have-shown-that-problems-endemic-to_2231059.jpg" --- # They have shown that problems endemic to… ![“They have shown that problems endemic to poverty—residential instability, severe deprivation, concentrated neighborhood disadvantage, health disparities, even joblessness—stem from the lack of affordable housing in our cities. I have made all survey data publicly available through the Harvard…” quote by Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/147/matthew-desmond-1529_affordable-housing_they-have-shown-that-problems-endemic-to_2231059.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/147/matthew-desmond-1529_affordable-housing_they-have-shown-that-problems-endemic-to_2231059.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/147/matthew-desmond-1529_affordable-housing_they-have-shown-that-problems-endemic-to_2231059.jpg) > ““They have shown that problems endemic to poverty—residential instability, severe deprivation, concentrated neighborhood disadvantage, health disparities, even joblessness—stem from the lack of affordable housing in our cities. I have made all survey data publicly available through the Harvard Dataverse Network.13 —”” [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Lack of affordable housing drives many poverty‑related problems, from health to employment. **In simple terms:** Affordable housing is key to solving poverty issues. Key Takeaway Invest in affordable housing to reduce poverty. Themes poverty housing health employment urban policy Mood analytical urgent Type academic policy When to use this quote - policy making - community development - academic research - advocacy Key Concepts economics public health social inequality urban planning Questions to Reflect On - What policies can increase affordable housing? - How does housing stability affect health outcomes? A Different Perspective Housing solutions require political will and funding. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affordable housing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affordable-housing/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) ## Related quotes > [We can start with housing, the sturdiest of footholds for economic mobility. A national affordable housing program would be an anti-poverty effort, human capital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/we-can-start-with-housing-the-sturdiest-of-footholds-for-economic/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“A problem as big as the affordable-housing crisis calls for a big solution. It should be at the top of America's domestic-policy agenda -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/a-problem-as-big-as-the-affordable-housing-crisis-calls-for-a-big/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [The standard of 'affordable' housing is that which costs roughly 30 percent or less of a family's income. Because of rising housing costs and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/the-standard-of-affordable-housing-is-that-which-costs-roughly-30/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“Affordable housing is a human-capital investment, just like job programs or education, one that would strengthen and steady the American workforce.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/affordable-housing-is-a-human-capital-investment-just-like-job/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [I don't think that you can address poverty unless you address the lack of affordable housing in the cities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-don-t-think-that-you-can-address-poverty-unless-you-address-the/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Do we believe housing is a right and that affordable housing is part of what it should mean to be an American? I say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/do-we-believe-housing-is-a-right-and-that-affordable-housing-is-part/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [No segment of the population has lost more by the agendas of the liberal constituencies of the Democratic Party than the black population. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/no-segment-of-the-population-has-lost-more-by-the-agendas-of-the/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Quality, affordable housing is a key element of a strong and secure Iowa.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/quality-affordable-housing-is-a-key-element-of-a-strong-and-secure/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We will primarily focus on affordable housing, water supply and transport infrastructure, as these are critical for Mumbai. Infrastructure deficit is an issue in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharad-pawar/we-will-primarily-focus-on-affordable-housing-water-supply-and/) [Sharad Pawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharad-pawar/) > [“This city-and-corporate-led “pro-arts” agenda runs the risk of not only driving out present art-making residents out via a combination of gate-keeping and escalating living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-city-and-corporate-led-pro-arts-agenda-runs-the-risk-of-not-only/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There are masses of people who need affordable housing in New York. I think that, politically, it is very difficult to give preference to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-zukin/there-are-masses-of-people-who-need-affordable-housing-in-new-york-i/) [Sharon Zukin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-zukin/) > [If you really believe that you're making a difference and that you can leave a legacy of better schools and jobs and safer streets,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bloomberg/if-you-really-believe-that-you-re-making-a-difference-and-that-you/) [Michael Bloomberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bloomberg/) > [ “One \[project of Teddy Cruz's\] is titled Living Rooms at the Border. it takes a piece of land with an unused church zoned for… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/one-project-of-teddy-cruz-s-is-titled-living-rooms-at-the-border-it/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [There's a major underlying idea as you grow up that you need to just save your money and get that affordable housing at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/there-s-a-major-underlying-idea-as-you-grow-up-that-you-need-to-just/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [The people who are working, paying their taxes are put into the system so that affordable housing could be built in neighborhoods that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bolling/the-people-who-are-working-paying-their-taxes-are-put-into-the-system/) [Eric Bolling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bolling/) ## More by Matthew Desmond > [I don't think we can fix poverty without fixing housing, and I don't think we can address housing without understanding landlords.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-don-t-think-we-can-fix-poverty-without-fixing-housing-and-i-don-t/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [If we continue to tolerate this level of poverty in our cities, and go along with eviction as commonplace in poor neighborhoods, it's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/if-we-continue-to-tolerate-this-level-of-poverty-in-our-cities-and-go/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [You see one eviction, and you're overcome, but then there's another one and another one and another one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/you-see-one-eviction-and-you-re-overcome-but-then-there-s-another-one/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [When I talk to booksellers, they tell me how hard it is to hand-sell some of my books because I do keep popping around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/when-i-talk-to-booksellers-they-tell-me-how-hard-it-is-to-hand-sell/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Housing being a top-order issue for cities is something that's not trivial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/housing-being-a-top-order-issue-for-cities-is-something-that-s-not/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [I think that we value fairness in this country. We value equal opportunity. Without a stable home, those ideals really fall apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-think-that-we-value-fairness-in-this-country-we-value-equal/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Exploitation. Now, there's a word that has been scrubbed out of the poverty debate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/exploitation-now-there-s-a-word-that-has-been-scrubbed-out-of-the/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [I think there are ways that graduate students can fact-check their work. I think there are ways that we can do this that don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-think-there-are-ways-that-graduate-students-can-fact-check-their/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Fire itself is very beautiful, and there's an attachment to fire that firefighters have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/fire-itself-is-very-beautiful-and-there-s-an-attachment-to-fire-that/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“Sherrena nodded reassuringly and said, almost to herself, “I guess I got to stop feeling sorry for these people because nobody is feeling sorry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/sherrena-nodded-reassuringly-and-said-almost-to-herself-i-guess-i-got/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Everywhere else, we are someone else, but at home, we remove our masks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/everywhere-else-we-are-someone-else-but-at-home-we-remove-our-masks/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [A community that sees so clearly its own disadvantage or its own hardships also has a harder time seeing its potential: its ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/a-community-that-sees-so-clearly-its-own-disadvantage-or-its-own/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“It was once said that the poor are 'constantly exposed to evidence of their own irrelevance.' Especially for poor African-American families - who live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/it-was-once-said-that-the-poor-are-constantly-exposed-to-evidence-of/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [A universal voucher program would change the face of poverty in this country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/a-universal-voucher-program-would-change-the-face-of-poverty-in-this/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“Wildland firefighters do not enjoy the cultural prestige that structural firefighters do. They do not wax their fire engines and cruise down the local…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/wildland-firefighters-do-not-enjoy-the-cultural-prestige-that/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) [Explore all 230 Matthew Desmond quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) ## More Affordable housing quotes > [The people who are working, paying their taxes are put into the system so that affordable housing could be built in neighborhoods that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bolling/the-people-who-are-working-paying-their-taxes-are-put-into-the-system/) [Eric Bolling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bolling/) > [There's a major underlying idea as you grow up that you need to just save your money and get that affordable housing at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/there-s-a-major-underlying-idea-as-you-grow-up-that-you-need-to-just/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [ “One \[project of Teddy Cruz's\] is titled Living Rooms at the Border. it takes a piece of land with an unused church zoned for… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/one-project-of-teddy-cruz-s-is-titled-living-rooms-at-the-border-it/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [If you really believe that you're making a difference and that you can leave a legacy of better schools and jobs and safer streets,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bloomberg/if-you-really-believe-that-you-re-making-a-difference-and-that-you/) [Michael Bloomberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bloomberg/) > [There are masses of people who need affordable housing in New York. I think that, politically, it is very difficult to give preference to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-zukin/there-are-masses-of-people-who-need-affordable-housing-in-new-york-i/) [Sharon Zukin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-zukin/) > [“This city-and-corporate-led “pro-arts” agenda runs the risk of not only driving out present art-making residents out via a combination of gate-keeping and escalating living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-city-and-corporate-led-pro-arts-agenda-runs-the-risk-of-not-only/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We will primarily focus on affordable housing, water supply and transport infrastructure, as these are critical for Mumbai. Infrastructure deficit is an issue in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharad-pawar/we-will-primarily-focus-on-affordable-housing-water-supply-and/) [Sharad Pawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharad-pawar/) > [Quality, affordable housing is a key element of a strong and secure Iowa.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/quality-affordable-housing-is-a-key-element-of-a-strong-and-secure/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [No segment of the population has lost more by the agendas of the liberal constituencies of the Democratic Party than the black population. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/no-segment-of-the-population-has-lost-more-by-the-agendas-of-the/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [We know we've got a problem attracting to certain areas because of the cost of living, so we're thinking about things from how do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacinda-ardern/we-know-we-ve-got-a-problem-attracting-to-certain-areas-because-of/) [Jacinda Ardern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacinda-ardern/) > [I have done a lot of work for affordable housing, rental housing. I understand the rap on me and other liberals is, oh, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barney-frank/i-have-done-a-lot-of-work-for-affordable-housing-rental-housing-i/) [Barney Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barney-frank/) > [I will fight for affordable housing for teachers, police, fire fighters, and families in all our neighborhoods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/london-breed/i-will-fight-for-affordable-housing-for-teachers-police-fire-fighters/) [London Breed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/london-breed/) > [As cities get more dense, you have people saying, "Why would you have an urban farm when you could have affordable housing on that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novella-carpenter/as-cities-get-more-dense-you-have-people-saying-why-would-you-have-an/) [Novella Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novella-carpenter/) > [Do we believe housing is a right and that affordable housing is part of what it should mean to be an American? I say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/do-we-believe-housing-is-a-right-and-that-affordable-housing-is-part/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [A strong economy causes an increase in the demand for housing; the increased demand for housing drives real-estate prices and rentals through the roof.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-baldwin/a-strong-economy-causes-an-increase-in-the-demand-for-housing-the/) [William Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-baldwin/) [Browse all 81 Affordable housing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affordable-housing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“They have shown that problems endemic to poverty—residential instability, severe deprivation, concentrated neighborhood disadvantage, health disparities, even joblessness—stem from the lack of affordable housing in our cities. 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