A report from the Metropolitan Housing Coalition recently pointed to the high incidence of asthma-related hospital visits among children in low-income neighborhoods. The study found hospitalization rates to be higher than the national average in six zip codes, mostly in the West End. The number of people suffering from asthma has doubled since 1982, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. With some 6 million children affected by the disease, it’s now the most common chronic illness among youngsters in the United States.

Substandard housing is part of the problem, says Jane Walsh, executive director of MHC, but there are others causes that need to be addressed. With 14 percent of Louisville’s population living in poverty, adequate health care and expensive medications are out of reach for many of those who need them. “This is a manageable disease if you have time and resources,” she says.

Administering steam treatments; making sure the house remains dust-, mold-, smoke- and insect-free; and promptly refilling medications when they run out aren’t just expensive, they’re time-consuming, Walsh says. “If you’re a single mom or you work two jobs, that kind of management might be hard to do,” she says.

The Coalition plans to team up with Partners for a Healthy Louisville in the future, she says, to address asthma and other illnesses that disproportionately affect low-income populations. The coalition won’t take the lead — it’s still an organization that addresses housing issues — but it’s important that people see all of the ways substandard housing can affect the community.