“Given the inextricable link between affordable, quality housing and good health, housing is one area that hospitals and health systems are starting to focus on more and more.” – American Health Association
NCSHA’s Healthy Housing, Healthy Communities (H3C) Partnerships initiative aims to leverage the state HFAs’ role at the center of the affordable housing system to attract significant health system involvement and elevate community-level leadership in addressing the housing affordability crisis in America.
Six state HFAs are receiving grant funding and technical assistance to support development of partnerships with hospitals and health systems to expand financing for affordable housing. Community-level leadership and engagement will play a key role in each partnership.
The grant funding will underwrite the HFA’s costs to:
Identify and solidify commitments from health institution partners to collaborate with the HFA to build or preserve affordable housing
Produce a Housing, Health, and Equity Partnership Plan that specifies financial and other commitments the agency and its partners will make to develop or preserve affordable housing in a manner that improves community health and advances social and racial equity
Grant recipients will have access to technical support, best practices, and peer-to-peer learning.
An NCSHA initiative, H3C is made possible with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and technical assistance and expertisefrom the Center for Community Investment.
The initiative was inspired by the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency’s award-winning Hospital Partnership Subsidy Program, which has worked with community partners to close on two projects currently under construction and another three hospital partnership projects currently advancing through the financing process. Their combined $140 million investment will produce 316 units of affordable and supportive housing across the state.
Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA) recognizes that housing and health are inherently connected and both sectors can work together to improve lives. CHFA is building collaborative partnerships with housing, healthcare, philanthropic, and community organizations to design solutions and leverage cross-sector resources, allowing CHFA to create and preserve more homes and improve health outcomes for Colorado residents, furthering its mission. Grant funding will support CHFA’s efforts to connect its work in healthy housing to its long-running commitment to financial and management innovation.
Illinois Housing Development Authority will use grant support to leverage existing healthcare industry resources, such as hospitals, managed care organizations, or federal and community health centers, with the agency’s housing financing programs, with an initial focus in Cook County and Peoria. The agency has earmarked $15 million in state funds to jump start projects that result from the planning.
Nebraska Investment Finance Authoritywill deepen collaboration with health and community organizations serving the city of Lincoln, including Bryan Health System, the Community Health Endowment of Lincoln, Community Development Resources,and the Lincoln’s Cause Collective network. Grant funds will support development of a prototype program to integrate refugee families into the community.
Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency will partner with UPMC, the state’s largest healthcare institution, to develop a replicable health and housing financing model. Building on earlier work, the program will be piloted with grant support at community-based, locally supported projects in historically underserved neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, with the ultimate goal of serving the entire Commonwealth.
RIHousing will utilize grant funds to develop a health, housing, and equity plan of action to increase affordable, service–enriched housing for Rhode Island’s most vulnerable residents. The agency will build on the work five of the state’s Health Equity Zones have initiated and will partner with LISC Rhode Island to leverage their $4 million grant from Blue Cross & Blue Shield Rhode Island.
Washington State Housing Finance Commission will enhance its statewide effort to align housing and healthcare resources toward addressing homelessness and housing stability, drawing on the momentum and new collaboration created by Apple Health and Homes. Grant support will enable the agency to build from the success of “one-off” projects to establish a statewide structure of sustained, cross-sector leadership and investment.