Universal Access to Counsel, Housing Court Filings, and Child Mental Health: Evidence from New York City

Mike Cassidy, Janet Currie, Sherry Glied and Renata E. Howland

AEA Papers and Proceedings, 2025, vol. 115, 96-102

Abstract: We link data from Medicaid to housing court records to study the relationship between housing instability and children's mental health. Of Medicaid children aged 4–17 in New York City, 14 percent faced housing court from 2016–2019. Using rollout of universal access to counsel as an instrument, we find that children in families with possessory judgments are 1.6 times more likely to move, 8 times more likely to experience homelessness, and 53 percent more likely to have mental health claims. Effects are strongest for children without preexisting conditions and are not explained by use of health care more generally.

JEL-codes: H75 I12 I18 I38 J13 L84 R38 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aea:apandp:v:115:y:2025:p:96-102

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DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20251006

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