Housing and health in Israel: the need for local policy-oriented interdisciplinary research

Housing is a fundamental condition for health and wellbeing. Housing situation- including affordability, stability, and quality- has been associated with a wide range of health outcomes. Israel is home to a decades-long housing crisis, with housing stock unable to meet demand, lacking housing quality regulation, and few protections for renters.

This paper presents a review of evidence on housing and health and an overview of the housing situation in Israel. Using a health in all policies framework, we present examples of how public health researchers are leading interdisciplinary research to strengthen the evidence base to change housing policies.

Ultimately, this paper serves as a call to Israeli researchers in the health sciences, urban studies, architecture, public policy, and other relevant fields to take interest in building a local evidence base and promote healthy housing models.