In Sickness and in Wealth: Pre-viewing activity

Please answer the following questions below using the reply/comment section:

In the film we are about to watch, a woman-Angelique Anderson-says: “I always wanted to have a house with a big back yard…” Corey adds: “I want to own a house so that if anything happened to me, she wouldn’t be put out on the street.”

• What health benefits might derive from affordable, quality and secure housing?

• How does home ownership (or its lack) affect conditions in your community?

• How easy or difficult is it to find quality, affordable housing in your community?

23 thoughts on “In Sickness and in Wealth: Pre-viewing activity

  1. The health benefits that derive from affordable and secure housing are that people tend to have good physical and mental health. For example, living in a quality and secure housing can protect families from hazardous exposures in the house such as lead poisoning which can affect the brain and the nervous system.

    Home ownership affects conditions in my community because most of the homeowners in my community are participating in the community by participating in local organizations and to get to know the local residents which protects their economic and social interests.

    I think that it’s somewhat difficult in my community because most of the houses and apartment buildings are newly built so I think that they are protected by the department of buildings. I knew a friend of mine who recently moved with his family due to poor living conditions, and now that he moved to another part of the neighborhood he can’t afford to live there because it’s too expensive. So I think that is hard to find quality, affordable house in the community to this day.

  2. The health benefits could include peace of mind. Having an affordable and secure home can reduce the pressure of financial complications and stress reduction knowing that you’re safe where you live. Some houses are very affordable but the security isn’t the best or the neighborhood isn’t the best, while other houses are not affordable, but yet very secure.

    In my community home ownership means for a better environment. People tend to care about where they live, their surroundings, the roads, and the politics of the town. Whereas a lack of home ownership dismisses those issues. Not that they don’t care (probably) Most just don’t have the means, or feel like they have control over what goes on around them. Owning something definitely sets a certain mindset for the individual.

    To answer that question i’d have to define “quality” In my community I believe most houses are affordable given that I live in a Zone 1 area (flood zone) and the neighborhood isn’t the best. So quality here is determined by location. Which makes it very difficult There’s only one area that is high enough to avoid flooding that I know of and the amount of available housing is limited to none.

  3. 1) What health benefits might derive from affordable, quality and secure housing?
    Health benefits that derive from an affordable, quality and secure housing may include protection of ones health (physical and mental). This can be shelter from bad weather and potentially provide a more stress-free environment for oneself, compared to living in a housing of much lower quality. It can also provide more control over one’s use of utility(heating) and other dangers from housing of poor quality (lead and asbestos poisoning, mold exposure).

    2) How does home ownership (or its lack) affect conditions in your community?
    If there is home ownership in the community, it allows the community to come together and have meetings to potentially better the community like neighborhood watch, or petition for things like street safety (more traffic lights, stop signs) in the area.

    3) How easy or difficult is it to find quality, affordable housing in your community?
    In my community, it is not so easy. While the quality of housing may be subject to one’s standards of what they deem is “good” (especially when your area gets flash flooding warnings on bad weathers), affordability isn’t easy to come by.

  4. The Health Benefits that can derive from affordable, quality, and secure housing can be a number of things. It can improve your physical and mental health to know that you can relax in your own home without having to worry about loans, break ins, and having the ability to own a quality home. Home ownership affects certain conditions in my neighborhood like having a well-populated community, high neighborhood safety, and infrastructure concerns. In my community i believe it is fairly easy to find affordable housing. I live right near the Farmingdale train station recently right by the train station the town has build affordable housing apartments for any and everyone and they make it convenient for commuters as well.

  5. Living in a stable home could prevent the stress of moving from home to home. By avoiding stress, one can avoid sickness because of a surpressed immune system. Also, I believe if children especially can come home to a house and stability it can prevent mental illness to affect them in the future.

    Home ownership can bring neighbors closer together and establish a social relationship with those around us. Ultimately, home ownership can provide a more social environment to live in.

    In my community it is extremely hard to find affordable housing and living. My neighborhood has increased in value and so have the local shops as well. I do believe at some point the rent and housing prices will become affordable again.

  6. Some health benefits that we can get from affordable, quality and secure housing would be that people are less likely to suffer from stress, they are secure to wonder around after dark without worrying that they’ll be harmed by someone. Also they can be worry free of flooding during a storm, or trying to be warm during cold weathers.
    Home ownership affects the conditions in the community because everyone will do their best to contain their properties safe, people can work together in order for their neighborhood to be clean and keep criminals away.
    In my community is hard to find a quality, affordable housing because it depends on how much you can afford it. For example if you want to be on a building in where you feel secure no one with bad intention will harm you or others you will have to pay extra on rent in order to have someone guarding the entrance.

  7. • What health benefits might derive from affordable, quality and secure housing?
    Life may get a little less stressful. Owning a home brings a sense of security and comfort. You don’t have to worry about paying someone else to live somewhere or them raising the rent. When you feel more secure in your life then you feel more confident and make better choices.

    • How does home ownership (or its lack) affect conditions in your community?
    The lack of home ownership affects my community in a bad way. Landlords are allowed to raise the rent if you don’t live in a rent controlled apartment and it seems that rent is getting competitive. You’ll never find $800 apartment on the same block as a $1,600 apartment. Families have to downsize to affordable housing which means children sharing bedrooms with each other and possibly their parents. There is a rise in the number of squatters on my block, families just can’t afford to rent an apartment let alone own a home. This brings long term stress and instability.

    • How easy or difficult is it to find quality, affordable housing in your community?
    It is very difficult, from my own personal experience my family has moved out of four apartments because of landlord problems. We can’t afford to own a home so my parents rent homes. Just last year we had to move because our former landlord sold the house we were living in and told the new owners they could have it vacant for them. We had to go to housing court for months and the judge ended up giving us 6 months to find a place. Our old apartment had 5 bedrooms 2 bathrooms, kitchen, living room and was 2 floors, the rent was $2,600. We were living in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Flash forward and we’re in Arverne, Queens (close to far rockaway) rent is a few hundred dollars cheaper but the we have way more space and it’s the same set up as the old apartment. There are alot of families on my block but none of them are home owners. My current landlord owns about half the houses on my block that he rents out. I think it is easier for families to rent apartments because they dont have the money upfront to put down to own a home. Not everyone has good credit to get a loan from the bank and not everyone has knowledge about home ownership skills. This is something that should be taught in high school.

  8. Safety, Less stress, more community involvement, belonging and the comfort in all of this provides low blood pressure, lower cholesterol and high quality of life.

    I believe that home ownership really depends a person’s financial standings, if they are barely able to pay for the mortgage, it causes stress in the community because the home my not be kept up. This leads to very poorly looking homes in neighborhood. The lack of home ownership leads to homes that are abandoned which lead to homes that are eye sores. They are also easier to have vagabonds and tend to have stragglers hanging around, risking the safety as well.

    It is quite easy to find affordable housing in my community but it is not readily accessible because they are trying to gentrify the area. This means that there are slim to none chances that some of the people that really need the housing in the area are chosen. Its usually on a lottery basis and the amount of apartments available are small in comparison to the need for housing. For people that are trying to become homeowners, the price range for the houses are extremely expensive and very hard to secure. Most of the people that live in the houses, have been in their homes for decades and beyond.

  9. What health benefits might derive from affordable, quality and secure housing?
    * Well you may be less stress knowing that your in a secure place. Mental health would be a plus because each individual in the household would have their space compared to being in a crowded apartment.

    How does home ownership (or its lack) affect conditions in your community?
    * In my community everyone takes care of there surroundings. Where I live people love to garden and sweep up the their front yard every morning. My neighborhood itself is like a big family, if anyone is in a situation, they like to help .
    How easy or difficult is it to find quality, affordable housing in your community?
    * I think that depends on ones financial stability and what “quality and affordable” means to them. Everyone has a different perspective in that case. I personally believe its easy to find quality housing but not so much affordable. I would say my parents pay a monthly of 3,000 just for mortgage which i think its a lot to cover with other expenses. Owning a house can be less stress but also stressful at the same time.

  10. • What health benefits might derive from affordable, quality and secure housing?

    I believe that if people have a lack of an affordable quality and secure housing, they don’t receive the proper nutrition as well. Because they don’t have the money to provide themselves with a good shelter, they most likely would not use the money they do have to have a good meal. They most likely would not have a good appetite either to eat.

    • How does home ownership (or its lack) affect conditions in your community?

    It affects my community tremendously. I myself live in a home that is rented and not owned as well as a few of my neighbors. This creates a different environment for yourself because even though you’re “home,” it’s not really yours. Homeownership also creates substantial stability, it because these aren’t your homes it’s like you can’t feel comfortable there.

    • How easy or difficult is it to find quality, affordable housing in your community?

    It’s very difficult to find affordable housing because I live in a very expensive town. Buying a house or even renting is high. A lot of places have raised their prices as well because of the place where the homes are located. For instance I live by the water and after Hurricane Sandy my home needed a lot of renovations so rent was raised with that.

  11. • What health benefits might derive from affordable, quality and secure housing?
    When someone have an affordable , quality and secure housing the main thing is that they feel at ease and comfort. They have a peace of mind. They have a home where they can go and relax after a long day at work or when there is a bad weather condition outside. At least they have a place where they can feel free and at ease. Most of all they feel secure so it helps in their mental health.

    • How does home ownership (or its lack) affect conditions in your community?
    Home ownership or its lack affects the conditions in my community in huge way. Being the ownership of a home or an apartment brings a large difference in the way the people act and manage the neighbors. In my community there are people who just don’t care about the building or the neighbors they are with. If you are the owner of the home or an apartment may be you would care to know about other neighbors or control the disturbance or mess you make because that comes as one of your responsibility and that you might be staying in that same home or the community for too long as you own it.

    • How easy or difficult is it to find quality, affordable housing in your community?
    It is actually very difficult to find an affordable housing in my community. Even a studio costs around $1200 per month in Forest Hills, as lots of Jewish people reside here the rents are very expensive.

  12. What health benefits might derive from affordable, quality and secure housing?

    Having affordable, quality and secure housing helps to keep us both mentally and physically stable. Affordability enables people to not worry about paying high monthly rent bills. This ensures that their wages or salaries can contribute to other aspects of life, instead of just one. A quality and spacious house helps to keep the family comfortable especially when there are many people living in the same home. Bumping into each other in a house with tight space can be very hectic. When the house is secure, you do not have to worry much about your family’s safety when you are away from home. Security also includes quality because when a house is built properly, it is highly likely to be secured. All of these situation helps us from getting too stressed on a regular basis.

    How does home ownership (or its lack) affect conditions in your community?
    Home ownership helps to create a warm and friendly bond in my community. This is because most of the people who own homes in my community have done so for years, so they know each other very well and their children grow up together closely. This helps my community to be a very peaceful place.

    How easy or difficult is it to find quality, affordable housing in your community?
    To be honest, it is not very easy to find quality housing in my community because most of the apartment buildings are very old and certainly need refurbishing, however living in these apartments may be very affordable depending on the job that you have. There is only one recently made building but getting an apartment in it can be very difficult because people rarely move.

  13. What health benefits might derive from affordable, quality and secure housing? Some benefits that might derive from affordable, quality and secure housing are lower stress level. If a person could afford the housing and its secure then they might not stress about being able to pay for it. Happiness level increases. You might have worked hard to find that home and you will feel happy and proud to have it. Criminal activity might go down too because everyone has affordable and quality housing. No one is going around killing you.

    How does home ownership (or its lack) affect conditions in your community? the lack of home ownership negatively affects the conditions in my neighborhood. I feel that people have a I don’t care attitude when it comes to apartments and things around the neighborhood and it might be because they don’t feel obligated to keep things nice since “they are not the owners”. When I go visit people in other neighborhoods where they own their homes, you can see the difference. People take care of their houses and the surroundings and worry about the neighborhood as a whole.

    How easy or difficult is it to find quality, affordable housing in your community? I believe is it very difficult to find quality, affordable housing in my community. Its either or, in my opinion, if the housing is affordable then the quality goes down and if the quality is high then its expensive. Now a days you can’t find an apartment for $1000 and if you do then you can be sure that the neighborhood is not the best.

  14. What health benefits might derive from affordable, quality and secure housing?
    the benefit she will get from living in health house, could be that she love nature and she would love to plant trees and flowers around the house to keep fresh inside the house, and she might want to grow her food instead of buying outside, chemical free and not process. Which would give her a good standard of living.
    How does home ownership (or its lack) affect conditions in your community?
    people prefer to want in a community where people own instead of renting the tend to be more concern and keep the neighborhood cleaner whereas living where you want the tenants mostly care about what goes on in the inside of the house.
    How easy or difficult is it to find quality, affordable housing in your community?
    Since I moved here from Florida I find very difficult to find an affordable ,quality hosing in my surround due the mass population. I will to go outside NYC that could come close the housing in Florida. I prefer community housing. I find it complicated the housing
    here cost twice as much as the housing in Florida but the quality of housing are horrible.

  15. • What health benefits might derive from affordable, quality and secure housing?

    When someone owns a house or have an affordable, quality and secure housing, the health benefits of person is less stressful because housing is extremely expensive. The person in charge of paying the rent might be struggling about the rent bill. This can cause lot of stress and struggle. The house quality and secure of house is extremely important for a family because home is a place where a person to have their private time and not to be disturbed after a long day of work. Home symbolize the relationship with the family. Quality and secure of house keeps the family to have better relationship with family member , which contribute to better health to everyone they live with.

    How does home ownership (or its lack) affect conditions in your community?

    The person that owns the house means they think the neighborhood they living in are safe. When someone buy house they are living their for a long periods of time without moving ouu. They tend to know everyone around the neighborhood after long period of time in neighborhood, they become friendly and feel very safe to living with people that they see every day. People in neighborhood feels more safe and are more willing to help each others.

    • How easy or difficult is it to find quality, affordable housing in your community?

    Its very easy to find a quality and affordable house in my neighborhood because the house I’m living in right now is cheaper than the house I use to living in a neighborhood of same race because People tends live in a neighborhood with same race, so They could help each others out and its easier for them to communicate in same language. But I love to live in a mixed race neighborhood because people are more nicer and it’s quieter in a mixed race neighborhood.

  16. Affordable, secure and quality housing has an important role in our lives. Reasonable housing is necessary for our physical and mental health. Poor housing conditions are associated with a wide range of health conditions, including respiratory infections, asthma, lead poisoning, injuries, and mental health. A Home is considered a place of safety and cleanliness, especially for the children. It impacts their social, mental and physical growth. When adequate housing protects individuals and families from harmful exposures and provides them with a sense of privacy, security, stability, and control, it can make important contributions to health.
    In terms of home ownership (or its lack) affect conditions in my community, housing quality varies dramatically by social and economic circumstances. Families with fewer financial resources are most likely to experience unhealthy and unsafe housing conditions. However, my community has been considered safe so far, in case of natural hazards like hurricanes. Although we are very close by the ocean, but nobody had to evacuate at the time of hurricane sandy.
    In terms of ease and difficulty in finding reasonable housing within my community, I would say that now a days it is becoming hard. Rents are too high. The standard of cleanliness and building maintenance is not the same, as it was used too. So I think there are higher chances of having poor and inadequate housing within my community.

  17. Owning a house means that you can live a peaceful life, without having to worry about living in the streets. It takes a stress load off of you and makes you live life more comfortable, knowing that you have a place that you can say its yours.

    Owning a home in my community does not apply, as i live in an apartment complex. but living in an area populated with a certain ethnic groups changes the community by a lot. Living close to the projects, there are a lot of suspicious activity around the area than living in your own home in a more suburban area. it forces people to move out to live in a safer place or live with it.

    It is really difficult to find affordable housing in my community, as it is fill with commercial building all over the place and high rent for small apartments. Houses are more out of the community that i live in but they are super expensive, unless you have a decent wage that you can manage and save up to buy.

  18. • What health benefits might derive from affordable, quality and secure housing?
    Living in affordable, quality, and secure housing definitely causes less stress. Knowing that the 1st of the month is coming up and you don’t have to scramble for rent money or worrying about being put out surely relieves stress.

    • How does home ownership (or its lack) affect conditions in your community?
    I believe the more people begin to invest in my neighborhood the more worthy it becomes. Once my neighborhood becomes more worthy the value would definitely increase and the people who currently live there would not be able to afford it.

    • How easy or difficult is it to find quality, affordable housing in your community?
    Finding affordable and quality housing in my neighborhood is very hard. I currently live on my own in the worst part of Brooklyn yet I am still paying an arm and a leg for rent.

  19. • What health benefits might derive from affordable, quality and secure housing?
    Having affordable, quality and secure housing provide health benefits, and many are directly and indirectly associated with. The most significant health benefit has to be stress. Having affordable housing means that money that is not used on rent can be used on other thing such as healthier or more food. Security develops a less tense environment and provides a sense of privacy.The quality can effect how long your house is standing to the air quality inside of the home. Its layout can also be changed to improve the quality of life for an ill or disabled person.
    • How does home ownership (or its lack) affect conditions in your community?
    In areas with more homes i see that there is less garbage on the street, less graffiti on walls.
    • How easy or difficult is it to find quality, affordable housing in your community?
    Its a lottery

  20. Well, the health benefits may include decreased stress, feeling of belonging and sometime feeling of worth. People who own their house have feeling of ownership which can make them feel fulfilled and accomplished. They don’t have to think about moving constantly somewhere else. House owners also don’t have to stress about rents being increased yearly.
    I believe that people, who own their house, are more involved in their community. They participate in activities held in their community. House-owner usually plant tress and seasonal flowering plants in their front yards which lead to green communities. People in my community are active participants in community’s Brooklyn Compost which provides them organic fertilizer for their plants. I think communities in which mostly people own their houses are safer, they have low crime rate. I believe part of safety might be because they know each other and keep an eye on their surroundings.
    In my community it’s not that hard to find a quality house. But housing is very expensive in my community. This community has many train lines and bus routes making public transportation easier. It also has many supermarkets and schools. It also have excellent place for walking running and bicycle ridding. Therefore housing is very expensive.

  21. -What health benefits might derive from affordable, quality and secure housing?
    i think, it’s a lower stress level, because a person couldnt be stressed about payment for it. It’s a known knowledge that mostly our salaries go to pay rent. and the worries about to pay the rent on time and in full, are very high, therefore we are feel stressed (nonstop). also, being an owner of the place (house or apartment) gives the person a feeling of securiness and ownership. The person think “it’s my home” 🙂 You are happy and secure.
    -How does home ownership (or its lack) affect conditions in your community?
    i guess that many people (unfortunately) dont care about rented property. my (rented)apartment, where we live now, was in horrible state, even with the holes in the walls, when we rented it. We ed the reparement ourselves. it was very expensive, difficult and crazy 🙁 and when the people own a place, the situation is completely different-they care and cherish it.
    -How easy or difficult is it to find quality, affordable housing in your community? I guess its impossible. the rent rates a very high and i dont know how authorities allow it, because salaries are still very low.

  22. What health benefits might derive from affordable, quality and secure housing?

    The first health benefit I would say that might derive from affordable, quality, and secure housing is a peace of mind or a rested mind/heart to know that you have what you would call a home or a house; one that belongs to you or can afford, and not having to live or share anything with different people. It’s always a good feeling owning a piece of property especially one that you can afford without having to stress your mind of how you will be paying for it, and besides, a quality and secure one too. However, although an affordable, quality, and secure housing does not guarantee permanent health benefit, it gives a peace of mind that puts you on the list or thread of what I would say living part of the American dream. One has to own one to experience the feelings it creates in the mind and heart.

    How does home ownership (or its lack) affect conditions in your community?

    Although it does not necessarily has to be a situation in which one must undergo, or should experience any ill-conditions that would affect conditions in ones community, it depends, in my opinion, on the people living in the home/community, the bank(s) and what they impose, and the roller coaster of how one maintains the home. Roller coaster in the sense, if there is too much taxes impose, or the mortgage got raised because of some reason, and the home is not properly maintained, or there is a third party that wants to buy the house; devaluation would most likely kick in and if the person is from a background where poverty is not ruled out, that has a greater impact on one’s health also, thereby affecting the community where people are experiencing such ill-conditions.

    How easy or difficult is it to find quality, affordable housing in your community?

    It is definitely not easy finding a quality, affordable housing in ones community if what is referred to as quality and affordable is really quality and affordable. First, one has to ask the question, what is quality? What is affordable? Can I or do I have what it takes to find a quality affordable housing? These questions depend on one’s socioeconomic status. And for most people, that’s the open-ended questions because quality and affordable means you have to be financially equipped to own a home that you would refer to as a quality home with everything in it and spacious enough to accommodate you and your family. And also for most people who are buried in poverty and covered with inequality in almost everything they desire to make life comfortable, what would be quality and affordable housing would have to go way beyond their strength.

  23. What health benefits might derive from affordable, quality and secure housing?
    In my opinion, living in a secure housing and neighborhood with a great sense of community is one of everybody’s goals at some point of their lives. So being able to afford such type of housing without sacrificing other necessities would contribute to the mental health of the individual.

    • How does home ownership (or its lack) affect conditions in your community?
    I live in a huge residential complex of 110 buildings. None of the 30,000 residents own any of the apartments and people are constantly moving in and out, which makes difficult to create a bond between residents. Because of the increasing rent prices, some residents, including my roommates and I, live on a constant fear of having to move to another neighborhood that would probably be less safe.

    • How easy or difficult is it to find quality, affordable housing in your community?
    I would say that in my neighborhood (the East Village), it is easy to find quality housing, but sadly, the type of housing available is far from affordable. Rent prices keep going up, which can be a stressor factor for some residents of the neighborhood. Even a considerable amount of residents who have been living in the neighborhood for decades and are responsible for creating a sense of community have been forced to look for more affordable housing options.

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