Training Session: Effects of Housing
Conditions on Health

Solomon Awashish - Health Promotion Officer with the Public
Health Team for the Cree Board of Health and Social Services,
James Bay

The UN has a declaration called the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
It states that everyone has the right to a standard of living for the health and
well-being of himself and his family including food, housing and medical care.

The Cree Nation of Chisasibi has a population of about 3,000.
The population is mixed including many Inuit people. Chisasibi
was moved approximately six kilometres inland in 1980 to accommodate
a James Bay hydroelectric project. This project resulted in many problems
for the people that lived there such as:

Millions of acres of traditional Cree land/water were altered and destroyed.
Eighty-five to ninety per cent unemployment due to their lands being decimated which has destroyed their traditional way of life.
An alarming rate of suicide attempts and successes due to lost hope
associated with unemployment and poverty (as high as 1 in every 20 people).
Methylmercury contamination of the water, moose, fish and people of
Cross Lake.
High rates of substance abuse again due to lost hope.
Immeasurable quantities of the powerful greenhouse gas, methane,
being released into the atmosphere.
The flooding of one of North America’s largest boreal forests.
Shoreline erosion due to unnatural water levels caused old burial sites
to be exposed.
Health epidemics due to the drastic change in their lifestyle/diet.
(Diabetes epidemic especially in the children.)

Approximately 210 houses were moved and 90 new houses were built.
After the relocation, engineers reported severe architectural, structural and
ventilation deficiencies in the new homes built at the time of the move. The
results of these deficiencies are visible moulds and positive fungal cultures
that are associated with a wide range of acute and chronic health problems.

Doctors received many illness complaints and sent letters to the Band
Office reporting the illnesses they saw in their patients. However, there was
no money for housing improvements. The Band worked together with the
Cree Health Board to do a qualitative study on housing and health. A study
was conducted to compile proof that the Cree people of Chisasibi were
adversely affected by the conditions they lived it. The main objectives
were to establish a link between poor housing and poor health. There
were several aspects to the study:

A literature review was conducted.
Fourteen key informants were interviewed (people who were sick
as a result of their housing conditions).
There was an independent engineering assessment to examine
the condition of the homes built.
Compounding factors which affect health were also studied,
such as low income, alcohol abuse or poor diet.

The study revealed many housing problems that in turn translated to
health problems:

Smell - Odours and strong smells from septic tanks. People
living there could not sleep or eat because of odours.
Moulds and Fungus – Bathtubs not properly drained so water
leaked, rotting floors.
Sewage backup – entire basements flooded by raw sewage.

These problems caused health-related issues such as:

Asthma
Nausea
Other respiratory problems
Much higher incidence of hospitalizations, illness and death

In addition to the qualitative study a quantitative survey was also
conducted to gather data about the people living in the houses.
Among other data, the survey revealed that over half of the houses
had structural problems and that there were an average of 6.25
people per house, sharing usually one bathroom.

CHRs must advocate for similar investigations to be conducted
in their own communities to determine the effects of poor housing on health.