Learn About Healthy Housing in Your Region
Region 4: Southeast
States and territories included: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, U.S. Virgin Islands
NCHH board or staff based in this region: Yes
The Southeast spans rapidly growing metropolitan areas, small towns, rural communities, and island jurisdictions, each facing distinct housing challenges. Across much of the region, aging homes, deferred maintenance, and limited access to repair resources leave residents vulnerable to health and safety hazards. High heat, humidity, severe storms, flooding, and hurricanes can compound these problems by accelerating deterioration, increasing moisture intrusion, and creating conditions that contribute to mold, pests, and poor indoor air quality. Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands face many of these same challenges while also navigating recovery from major storms and unique infrastructure constraints.
At the same time, the region is home to innovative partnerships working to improve housing conditions through home repair, healthy homes interventions, environmental justice initiatives, and community-led action. From urban neighborhoods to rural counties and island communities, organizations across the Southeast are demonstrating how investments in housing can improve health, strengthen resilience, and help families remain safely housed.
| Housing Units1, 2 | Built Before 19801, 2 | Renter-Occupied Homes3 | Housing with a High Cost Burden4 | |
| Alabama | 2,382,000 | 978,000 | 598,000 | 500,000 |
| Florida | 10,630,000 | 3,407,000 | 2,922,000 | 3,404,000 |
| Georgia | 4,669,000 | 1,416,000 | 1,422,000 | 1,264,000 |
| Kentucky | 2,051,000 | 945,000 | 595,000 | 443,000 |
| Mississippi | 1,359,000 | 544,000 | 347,000 | 296,000 |
| North Carolina | 5,074,000 | 1,647,000 | 1,492,000 | 1,269,000 |
| Puerto Rico | 1,617,000 | 840,000 | 382,000 | 239,000 |
| South Carolina | 2,531,000 | 807,000 | 616,000 | 584,000 |
| Tennessee | 3,244,000 | 1,263,000 | 972,000 | 769,000 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | 57,000 | 26,000 | 21,000 | 13,000 |
| United States | 146,740,964 | 70,645,087 | 46,101,640 | 40,510,500 |
The Southeast (Region 4) is home to a large and diverse housing stock, including millions of homes built before 1980. Kentucky, Puerto Rico, Alabama, Tennessee, and Mississippi all have particularly large shares of older housing relative to their total housing inventories. Many of these homes were built before the residential use of lead-based paint was banned, making lead hazard reduction, home repair, and rehabilitation critical investments for protecting health and preserving housing quality across the region.
The region also faces significant housing affordability pressures. Florida alone has more than 3.4 million cost-burdened households, while Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee each have more than three quarters of a million households struggling with housing costs. Combined with the Southeast’s exposure to heat, humidity, severe storms, and flooding, these trends highlight the need for investments that preserve affordable housing, improve housing quality, and strengthen community resilience.
Learn more about healthy housing in each state and territory:
Alabama | Florida | Georgia | Kentucky | Mississippi | North Carolina
Puerto Rico | South Carolina | Tennessee | U.S. Virgin Islands
Community and Partner Spotlight
Across the region, communities and organizations are working in many ways to make homes healthier and safer. These spotlights offer a glimpse of that work, highlighting just a few of the many efforts underway. Explore the links below to learn more directly from those leading the work.
Coalition for Home Repair
The Coalition for Home Repair is a national membership organization dedicated to preserving safe, healthy, and affordable housing through home repair and rehabilitation. The coalition supports local organizations with resources, training, advocacy, and funding opportunities that expand access to critical home repairs. Across the Southeast, where aging housing, deferred maintenance, storm damage, and limited repair resources affect many communities, home repair is an essential strategy for improving health, preserving affordability, and helping residents remain safely housed.
Eco-Womanist Institute Southeast
Eco-Womanist Institute Southeast (EWISE) creates pathways for women and girls of color to reconnect with the earth through environmental justice, leadership development, advocacy, and healing-centered community engagement. Rooted in the traditions of Black land stewardship and environmental justice, EWISE works to build resilient communities while addressing the interconnected challenges of climate change, health inequities, and environmental burdens. Their work demonstrates how healthy communities are strengthened when environmental, social, and housing issues are addressed together.
Metro United Way of Louisville
Metro United Way has been an important partner bringing together nonprofit organizations, government agencies, businesses, and residents to address the root causes of inequity across the Louisville region. Its work recognizes housing stability as a critical driver of health and economic mobility, helping connect families with resources that support safe and healthy living conditions. Metro United Way’s collaborative approach illustrates how cross-sector partnerships can improve housing outcomes while strengthening entire communities.
Mississippi Communities United for Prosperity
Mississippi Communities United for Prosperity (MCUP) is a community-driven organization working at the intersection of environmental justice, housing, resilience, and economic opportunity. Through initiatives addressing lead poisoning prevention, energy efficiency, healthy housing, youth leadership, climate resilience, and local coalition-building, MCUP helps residents shape solutions to the challenges facing their communities. As an NCHH mini-grantee (IAQ and Lead/Rural) and partner, MCUP exemplifies how grassroots leadership can advance healthy housing goals while building long-term community capacity and power.
Young, Gifted & Green
Young, Gifted & Green is cultivating the next generation of environmental justice leaders. A nationally recognized environmental justice and civil rights organization that emerged from advocacy efforts related to the Flint water crisis. Young, Gifted & Green has since expanded its work across the country, including the Southeast. Through policy advocacy, leadership development, organizing, and education, the organization empowers young people and historically marginalized communities to address lead exposure, environmental health threats, housing inequities, and climate challenges. Their work demonstrates the powerful role that youth leadership plays in advancing healthy homes, environmental justice, and community resilience.
NCHH Research in the Region
NCHH’s research in Region 4 has included strong collaborators at Community Housing Solutions, Cone Health, Tohn Environmental Strategies, University of Illinois – Urbana/Champaign, and weatherization agencies in Tennessee (and Colorado, Iowa, and Pennsylvania).
Aging Gracefully in Place
This multi-site NCHH study evaluated the CAPABLE (Community Aging in Place, Advancing Better Living for Elders) model, which combines home repairs and modifications with nursing and occupational therapy services to help older adults safely age in place. One of the four demonstration sites was in Greensboro, North Carolina, where NCHH partnered with Community Housing Solutions of Guilford, Inc. and Cone Health. The project examined how housing improvements can reduce fall risks and improve independence and quality of life for older adults.
Building Assessment of Radon/Moisture Reduction with Energy Retrofits Expansion (BARRIER-X) | PubMed
This research examined whether energy-efficiency upgrades and weatherization can be implemented without increasing indoor radon exposure. Tennessee was one of four states included in the field study. The project helped build evidence supporting the integration of healthy housing and energy-efficiency interventions while managing indoor environmental risks.
Other Regional Resources
HUD OLHCHH Grantee Programs Contact List: updated 8/24/26; includes specific contact information for 11 HUD OLHCHH program awardees organized by region. Currently includes 84 awarded programs in Region 4.
CDC National Asthma Control Program State and City Partner Contacts: Interactive map shows awarded programs and links out to specific program profiles complete with contact information. Currently includes 3 awarded programs in Region 4.
CDC-Funded Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program Success Stories by State: Interactive maps shows awarded programs and links out to specific success stories to learn more about local initiatives. Currently includes eight awarded programs in Region 4.
NCHH Louisville spotlight: Louisville Metro Department of Public Health & Wellness Health in All Policies Mini-Grantee Case Study: https://nchh.org/resource-library/case-studies_stories-from-the-field_2019-health-in-all-policies-mini-grantee_louisville.pdf
NCHH South Carolina spotlight: Case Studies in Healthcare Financing of Healthy Homes Services: Medicaid Reimbursement for Home-Based Asthma Services in South Carolina
NCHH North Carolina spotlight: ARPA Innovators: North Carolina Division of Public Health | NCHH
Explore Healthy Housing in Other Regions
Region 1: New England | Region 2: New York/New Jersey | Region 3: Mid-Atlantic | Region 4: Southeast |
Region 5: Great Lakes | Region 6: South Central | Region 7: Central Plains | Region 8: Mountain and Northern Plains |
Region 9: Southwest and Pacific | Region 10: Northwest and Alaska | Tribal Healthy Housing | Rural Healthy Housing
Table Reference Sources:
1 U.S. Census Bureau. “Year Structure Built.” American Community Survey, ACS 1-Year Estimates Detailed Tables, Table B25034. Accessed October 7, 2026.
2 U.S. Census Bureau. “Selected Housing Characteristics.” Decennial Census of Island Areas, DECIA U.S. Virgin Islands Demographic Profile, Table DP4. Accessed October 8, 2026.
3 U.S. Census Bureau. “Tenure.” American Community Survey, ACS 1-Year Estimates Detailed Tables, Table B25003. Accessed October 7, 2026.
4 U.S. Census Bureau. “Housing Costs as a Percentage of Household Income in the Past 12 Months.” American Community Survey, ACS 1-Year Estimates Detailed Tables, Table B25140. Accessed October 7, 2026.
Latest page update: October 22, 2026.