Social Determinants of Health
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Why Does Habitability Matter? Health and Our Housing Stock
Whether your home is safe and suitable for healthy living depends on a variety of factors. Shelterforce puts habitability under the lens to show how problems like inadequate heating, water damage, and pest infestations negatively affect your health and further exacerbate the housing crisis.
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RAD Plan in Chelsea Will Build in Mixed-Income Housing—But Disrupt Low-Income Seniors
A public housing redevelopment plan in Manhattan will add mixed-income housing—but some of the first wave of tenants who would have to leave are refusing to go.
How These Schools Worked With Community Groups to Fight College Homelessness
College-focused rapid rehousing aims to support students facing housing instability all the way through graduation.
Q: What Does ‘Community Benefit’ Mean?
A: This term means different things to people in the health sector and the community development or organizing sectors, which can get confusing.
Instead of Demolishing, Hospital Lets Homeless Coalition Relocate Houses
When a Wisconsin health care system needed to clear space for a parking lot, it sold the homes for $1 and donated land to move them to.
A COVID Upside: It Pushed Organizations to Do Better
During the pandemic, community development organizations had to work double-time to adapt to residents’ needs. For some, that work yielded important lessons about better helping their communities, permanently.
Where Missoula Built Sidewalks, A Health Equity Focus Followed
The Missoula City-County Health Department is working to expand health equity through a full-time government position, five years after a health initiative brought new sidewalks to low-income neighborhoods.
The Real Reason Why Babies at a St. Louis Public Housing Complex Weren’t Sleeping on Their Own
When a St. Louis-based group convened public housing residents to talk about infant mortality, they discovered a serious housing issue that affected tenants’ health. To the organization’s credit, they didn’t turn away from the problem.
Access to Housing Can Reduce Infant Deaths
Housing may not be on the list of solutions for the maternal and infant mortality crisis. But research—and successful programs—shows that it should be.
Sealing the Cracks in Weatherization and Home Repair
Deferred home maintenance can lead to serious structural, safety, and health issues. A new program in Pennsylvania aims to fill the gaps in home repair and weatherization programs.
A New ‘Normal’: Nonprofits and the Next Phase of COVID
Two years after the pandemic began, community development organizations reflect on what’s changed and how they’re moving forward. Some are still in crisis mode; others are refocusing their work.
Helping Tenants with Mental Health Challenges Who Are at Risk of Eviction
Support at all stages of an eviction could help vulnerable tenants navigate the process, avoid being removed from their home, or if they are evicted, help them catch their footing.
Getting Medicaid to Pay for Pest Control
For children who have asthma, pests like cockroaches and mice can trigger allergic reactions and lead to recurring and expensive hospital visits. Could insurers save money by investing in housing-based improvements like pest management services?