NHC’s latest work on the connection between housing and health is three profiles of promising approaches to using health Medicaid funds for housing related needs of low-income individuals and families.
- Addressing Housing as a Health Care Treatment: Hennepin Health, a Hennepin County, Minn. Accountable Care Organization, is a new kind of health care delivery organization focusing on integrating social services into health care. Serving non-disabled, low-income adults enrolled on Medicaid, Hennepin offers housing navigation services and case management to help members find stable and affordable housing.
- Using Health CareSavings to Construct Supportive Housing in New York: New York State is implementing a variety of Medicaid reform initiatives, including the use of state Medicaid savings to finance supportive housing development. The Creston Avenue Residence is a new mixed affordable and supportive housing development in New York City financed in part with state Medicaid savings.
- Collaborating withHousing Quality Stakeholders to Reduce Home Health Risks: Lead poisoning, often resulting from exposure to lead paint in older homes, poses a serious health threat to children. The Georgia Healthy Homes and Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (GHHLPPP) uses Medicaid and other funding to carry out blood lead testing, home lead hazards assessments and education to prevent lead poisoning among low-income children. GHHLPPP will soon begin piloting home asthma risk assessments for children with severe asthma.
The programs and housing development highlighted in these profiles are leading the way in breaking through the silos of housing and health care. They offer examples of new approaches to improving the health of low-income individuals by ensuring they have safe, stable and affordable housing.