òòò½Íø Papers and Proceedings
ISSN 2574-0768 (Print) | ISSN 2574-0776 (Online)
Universal Access to Counsel, Housing Court Filings, and Child Mental Health: Evidence from New York City
òòò½Íø Papers and Proceedings
vol. 115,
May 2025
(pp. 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.Citation
Cassidy, Mike, Janet Currie, Sherry Glied, and Renata E. Howland. 2025. "Universal Access to Counsel, Housing Court Filings, and Child Mental Health: Evidence from New York City." òòò½Íø Papers and Proceedings 115: 96–102. DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20251006Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- H75 State and Local Government: Health; Education; Welfare; Public Pensions
- I12 Health Behavior
- I18 Health: Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
- I38 Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty: Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
- J13 Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
- L84 Personal, Professional, and Business Services
- R38 Production Analysis and Firm Location: Government Policy