Housing policy is a structural determinant of population health, yet little is known about the developmental pathways through which residential stability may shape youth outcomes. We examine whether U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) subsidized housing programs, including public housing and vouchers, are associated with adolescent risk behaviors and academic performance, and whether decision-making represents a potential pathway linking residential stability to these domains.

We analyze data from 166 adolescents (ages 12-15) in Dane County, WI, recruited through local housing authorities and schools. A quasi-experimental design compares youth whose families received housing assistance through a lottery process to income-eligible peers without subsidized housing and to higher-income adolescents in the same communities. Participants completed cognitive tasks tied to decision-making, including measures of reward processing, risk-taking, and impulsivity, and a questionnaire assessing health-risk behaviors adapted from CDC’s YRBSS. Data were linked to administrative records of school attendance and standardized test scores.

Preliminary analyses show that low-income adolescents report more risk behaviors, have higher absenteeism and lower test scores, and demonstrate poorer decision-making than higher-income peers. Comparisons between youth in subsidized housing and income-eligible peers are mixed but indicate potential behavioral and cognitive differences; ongoing analyses will further clarify these contrasts.

Findings highlight socioeconomic gradients in adolescent outcomes and suggest that decision-making may represent one pathway contributing to these disparities during adolescence. If confirmed, differences between youth in subsidized housing and income-eligible peers would suggest that residential stability may attenuate observed socioeconomic disparities, with decision-making as one potential pathway.