December 12th, 2017
For many breadwinners of low-income families, going home at the end of a long workday can be a challenge, but it is a challenge they look forward to from the moment they arrive at work. The battle might begin with stepping off site into a city block filled with diesel exhaust. Perhaps a hard worker straps into a car for a fight with congested traffic on the long commute home, constantly alert to each potential danger the modern roadways present. Or maybe this breadwinner walks through the exhaust to a bus or subway platform littered with garbage, stepping over a foul-smelling river of leakage and spills that play host to germcarrying insects and vermin. There may be a tense wait for the push onto overcrowded public transportation, then a bumpy ride back to dark and dirty streets whose dimly lit corners conceal hidden threats and whose sidewalks are paved with broken glass and discarded, jagged-edged junk. Finally she’ll arrive at the comfort of home—a welcoming community, a loving family, and rooms and doors that close against the dangers of the outside world. Home is where we want to feel safe.Access to a safe and comfortable “home,” as necessary shelter, a source of identification, and a place to rest and relax, is both a psychological and a physical necessity. Today’s culture of fear and isolation have driven many families, particularly those living in crowded, urban environments, to seek safety and security behind the tightly closed doors of home.American Journal of Public Health | May 2002, Vol 92, No. 5