Local institutions have opportunities to create a healthy housing systems, even with limitations that may be posed by government constraints. We’re telling the story of three pioneering organizations who are working at the intersection of health and housing.
Learn more below about how they’re using housing strategies to improve health outcomes. Then, head over to our Porch Light Debates for a in-depth look at what each is doing, plus responses from our Community of Practice.
Alameda County Department of Public Health
The mission of the Alameda County Public Health Department (ACDPH) is to work in partnership with the community to ensure the optimal health and well-being of all people. ACDPH uses a dynamic and responsive process that respects the diversity of the community and challenges the health department to provide for present and future generations.
Since the 1990s, the health department has emphasized building community capacity, with a focus on health equity. This focus has led the health department to work on housing affordability, habitability, and access in collaboration with community groups. This focus was the result of community engagement and reflects the health concerns of the residents of Alameda County.
Bon Secours Hospital
Bon Secours Hospital in Baltimore has worked on housing development and neighborhood planning policies since 1993. Using community engagement as a tool for creating better health outcomes, Bon Secours has helped create numerous programs benefitting the Baltimore area. Recently, it has acquired state funding to develop a “Health Enterprise Zone” to bring together health providers in southeast Baltimore to improve health outcomes.
Bon Secours served 20,000 residents through its community revitalization plan, Operation ReachOut SouthWest, helping to create a family support center, a women’s resource center, financial services education plans, and a career development program. Bon Secours works with a deep understanding that with compassion and collaboration, communities can achieve lasting wellness.
Denver Housing Authority
The Denver Housing Authority (DHA) sees housing and its service provisions as clearly connected to health. Serving 26,000 people through housing and voucher programs, the DHA addresses head-on issues facing the populations it serves, such as isolation of residents, to foster greater community engagement.
Its most recent redevelopment project, Mariposa, has been nationally recognized for its innovations in community-based design with an emphasis on health. The DHA has transformed public housing in Denver to create a sustainable, transit-oriented, and mixed-income community of choice. The agency’s work is driven by the belief that every individual or family should have quality, affordable housing in communities offering empowerment, economic opportunity, and a vibrant living environment.
