A five-year study by the Boston Foundation makes the case that housing instability threatens the health of low-income Boston area residents.

The Boston Foundation’s Health Starts at Home initiative began in 2016, with funding for four local organizations that work on the two issues in question: housing and health care. (Disclosure: The Boston Foundation financially supports WBUR.) Those groups hired housing counselors to connect struggling families with resources available in the community, and researchers said that allowed previously isolated families to learn about support options.