On November 26, Channel 05 KPIX CBS SF Bay Area aired an investigative piece as part of their Project Home series on the impact of homelessness on pregnant women in the Bay Area, notably citing PTBi Researcher Matt Pantell's recent paper. The finding stated that housing instability increased a woman's odds of having a preterm birth by 20%. It also noted that the cost of hospitalization for both infant and mother dwarfs that of housing. The average cost for a month of housing is $1,375 while the average cost for a day of inpatient care is $2,424.
The news piece came on the heels of a San Francisco public hearing on pregnancy and homelessness hosted by the Human Rights Commission where PTBi joined partners such as Homeless Prenatal Program to describe the immense harm caused by housing insability to pregnant women and their families.
The inspiration for Pantell's study came from the community-based participatory action research conducted by PTBi's Benioff Community Innovators on the impact of housing policy on pregnant people, which has been the foundation for numerous policy considerations.
