Maybe Dr. Ben Carson is not the best choice for HUD secretary, but the link between housing and health makes a medical professional a good pick for this Cabinet position.
Donald Trump’s choice to have his one-time rival Ben Carson head the Department of Housing and Urban Development has triggered a lot of head-scratching. Carson’s lengthy dilly-dallying on whether to accept the job has perhaps driven many into full excoriation disorder, wondering why a retired neurosurgeon with no housing policy experience is even being considered. CityLab’s Kriston Capps assembled a comprehensive set of opinions from housing experts on why having Carson lead HUD would be a huge mistake—not least of which is the doctor’s allergy to fair housing principles.
But if the critique is that a medical professional is unfit for the HUD position, then that doesn’t square with the
research, which is increasingly convinced that housing is indeed a health issue. Dr. Megan Sandel, the former medical director of the
National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership, calls housing a “
vaccine” for protecting children against societal ills. And there’s global agreement on this. The World Health Organization states in its
international guidelines for “healthy housing” that:
There is a clear need and opportunity for governments and others to promote health in the course of making investments in housing. International guidance on healthy housing–targeting construction experts, architects and engineers as well as housing agencies and local authorities–would enable action that is scientifically-based, and protects and advances public health.
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