Housing and Health: How Shelter Shapes Well-Being in the Tongan Community
Housing as the Foundation of Health
“[Housing is] almost like the baseline of health …you can’t talk about anything without having a safe place to live [and] access to basic needs.” — Asena Taione-Filihia, MALO Director of Development
For the Tongan community in the San Gabriel Valley, housing is the starting point for all other aspects of life—health, education, employment, and community. Safe, stable housing provides the essential foundation on which individuals and families can build thriving futures. As Asena Taione-Filihia stated, “You can’t talk about anything without having a safe place to live, access to basic needs.” Reports by Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSoCal) and AAPI Data show that Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) communities face some of the highest rates of overcrowding, cost-burdened housing, and housing insecurity in California (Zhong et al., 2025). Housing challenges are associated with increased risk of poor health outcomes, underlining how deeply interconnected housing is to health equity for the Inland Empire Tongan community.
Financial Burdens of Housing & Impacts on Health
The American dream, which stresses individualism in home-ownership, can be demoralizing, especially for Tongan American families navigating economic burdens while maintaining cultural practices. MALO community members have stated that many Tongan American families often live with their parents. Asena explains that in their culture, “taking care of parents is another part.” Furthermore, MALO’s founder and executive director Lolofi Soakai emphasized, “People are living multi-family, and I know they want to get out… but it’s just you can’t afford it… that would cause stress.” This highlights that navigating financial stress is not an easy feat and can cause mental distress for those who take it upon themselves to provide for their family. Lolofi also emphasized the mental toll that these hardships have on her health: “I’m a renter, but I think it impacts my health because it makes me sad… My parents [and] my kids want a house… and I can’t afford it.” Simply put, it’s frustrating and stressful. Good housing always seems to be out of reach in Southern California, according to MALO Community Health Worker (CHW) Sepiuta Siasau: “If you have a good landlord or if you have good housing… rent is too high, and it’s ridiculous.” Thus, housing is strongly correlated with both physical and mental health, especially for Tongan Americans.
Healthy Housing and Environmental Health
In discussions with community members, “healthy housing” emerged as much more than shelter: it encompassed the surrounding environment and neighborhood conditions. It means breathing clean air, living in a calm environment, free from overcrowding and traffic congestion, and paying rent that leaves room for other essential expenses. As CHW Lolofi explained, “Healthy housing is… a neighborhood that’s not packed with cars everywhere… breathing the good air.” Poor air quality and heavy vehicle traffic are environmental stressors linked to asthma, which is already disproportionately high in NHPI populations (US Office of Minority Health, 2026a). Access to clean, healthy living environments is thus crucial not only for immediate physical health but also for long-term mental wellness. Creating healthier communities for Tongans requires a broader view of housing that includes environmental and neighborhood health as fundamental components.
Impacts on Healthcare Access and Outcomes
Housing instability has ripple effects that complicate healthcare access and management for the Tongan community. Overcrowded and multigenerational living situations often can make it hard to maintain routines for managing chronic illnesses like diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease, conditions that are disproportionately deadly among NHPI populations (US Office of Minority Health, 2026b; US Office of Minority Health, 2026c; US Office of Minority Health, 2026d). As Lolofi shared, “We’re already… the more [unhealthy] of the populations… and some of our elders are out there working in these conditions, because they have no choice.” Further, even when healthcare services are technically available, according to Asena, affordability remains a huge barrier: “It’s one thing to have healthcare, but if it’s not affordable for you and your family… [it] feels like it’s another cycle to get caught up in.” According to the 2022 AAPI Data report, a significant proportion of NHPI adults in California report delaying medical care due to cost, a finding that mirrors the experiences shared by MALO’s community members.
Conclusion: Collective Hope and Resilience
Housing, similar to other concerns of life, inherently affects health. For Tongan American families in the Inland Empire, it is an ongoing battle to improve housing conditions by advocating for improved community financial literacy, challenging housing precarity, and navigating the burdens of the housing economy. Despite facing housing challenges, the Tongan community’s strong cultural values, family networks, and resilience remain sources of resilience and hope. The cultural tradition of supporting extended family often leads to crowded households, but it also ensures that no one is left without support. Families dream of futures where each nuclear family has its own home while preserving the closeness that is central to Tongan identity. MALO CHW Seini Soakai says, “I think it’s in the future [that] everybody has their own home, but it all goes with our culture too… We tend to sacrifice certain things to make sure that our culture [is preserved].” Organizations like MALO are essential in advancing this vision. By providing culturally tailored programs—such as free Saturday events offering healthcare resources, mental health support, and family nights—MALO helps build a foundation for collective healing and empowerment. CHW Annie Vave explains that “MALO also provides Saturday events, free, for young parents to come either for healthcare resources, mental health support, and even fun family nights.” The path forward for the Tongan community lies in leveraging this spirit of resilience and cultural pride to demand equitable housing, health, and futures for all.
References:
Zhong, M., Uddin, N., Lou, C., & Balu, R. (2025, July 14). Unveiling the economic realities of AA and NHPI communities. Urban Institute. https://www.urban.org/research/publication/unveiling-economic-realities-aa-and-nhpi-communities
Office of Minority Health. (2026a). Asthma and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/asthma-and-native-hawaiianspacific-islanders
Office of Minority Health. (2026b). Diabetes and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/diabetes-and-native-hawaiianspacific-islanders
Office of Minority Health. (2026c). Heart Disease and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/index%2ephp/heart-disease-and-native-hawaiianspacific-islanders
Office of Minority Health. (2026d). Hypertension and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/hypertension-and-native-hawaiianspacific-islanders
