Dear Invest Health city team members and friends,
As summer winds down and we look to the fall, there is much to reflect on. “Resilience” comes to mind, as priorities constantly are shifting in response to the pandemic’s health, economic and educational impacts. Compounded with the challenges of those experiencing natural disasters – from the fires raging in California and Colorado, to the multiple hurricanes simultaneously impacting the South and East Coasts – building back will take time, resources and collaboration.
But 2020 still has time to redeem itself, and we hope you continue your important work, maintain your strength and resilience while still finding time for self-care and recovery. Thank you for your connection to this community and inspiring us through your stories of recovery and resilience. Stay well, be safe, and keep sharing.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Fassbender and the Invest Health Program Team
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Opportunities
[Conference] Strengthening Resilient Communities
How can housing and community development professionals advance an equitable recovery? In this pivotal moment, state and national community development conferences from across the country are joining together to explore successful strategies. This online conference, Oct 13 – 23, 2020, will explore how to make systemic changes that ensure communities get the resources they need to survive and thrive. The keynote address will be provided by Ibram X. Kendi, author of “How to be an Anti-Racist”. To learn more, click here.
[Webinar] A Coordinated Response to Health Equity and Health Determinants in NC: Housing
Join Invest Health Greensboro team members on September 6, 2020 to address housing, health, and equity. Case studies in housing and shelter will be analyzed through a multidisciplinary lens in order to provide learners with the skills needed to manage relevant, timely and appropriate housing related health resources for consumers. Kathy Colville of Cone Health, along with her colleague Bill Feehan of Cone Health Enterprise Analytics will present for the first time on the respiratory-related utilization data analysis of the renovation of the Avalon Trace apartments (featured in Shelterforce in 2018, here). To register, click here. Please note, to register you have to create an account to register. Once you do, the webinar is free.
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Resources
When Renters Can Earn Equity
A unique residential model in the neighborhood of Avondale, Cincinnati, where tenants rent, and also participate in monthly tenant meetings and help maintain the property they live in. In exchange, residents are guaranteed permanently affordable rent as well as financial credits they can exchange for cash when the lease is up. They also receive equity credits based on accrued time, which gives tenants a safety net in the face of the economic impacts of COVID-19. It sounds simple enough: residents fulfill commitments in their lease agreement, like paying rent on time and helping to maintain the property, and in doing so, earn financial credits they can exchange for cash after five years; but the model, known as rental equity or dividend housing, has been slow to get off the ground and scale, despite interest from other cities. To learn more, click here.
Funding to Purchase Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing
Before the pandemic, housing stability was already a fraught issue for many Americans. Only 1 in 4 households eligible for federal housing assistance were receiving it. The remaining 75 percent had limited options available to them and many struggled to find market-rate housing that was affordable. Now, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, vast numbers of households face housing instability. Naturally occurring affordable housing (NOAH) plays a vital role in providing affordable housing options for low- and moderate-income families and could be part of a national COVID-19 approach. To learn more, click here.
What Does It Take to Launch a Tiny Home Village of Permanent Supportive Housing?
 Tiny home villages have cropped up across the country as a means of helping house people experiencing homelessness. They have grown in popularity because they are cheaper to construct than multifamily housing, offer a neighborhood design and can be paired with supportive services. But not much is known about how to turn plans into reality and create a stable community of quality tiny homes and services that help people live healthy lives. A pilot program kicked off more than a year ago in Bozeman, Montana, to build a new community of tiny homes as permanent supportive housing (PSH) over a two-year timeframe. As the program’s learning and evaluation partner, the Urban Institute gleaned some initial takeaways on what it takes to pull together partners and think through design and implementation. To read their findings, click here.
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City Team News
Missoula, MT: The Invest Health Missoula city team’s work has played a key role in the city’s stated commitment to address racial and social equity in its three-year strategic plan. The city plans to appoint a team that’s largely comprised of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, or Person of Color) community members to identify disparities and solutions to advance social, economic and racial justice. That includes a “pro-equity policy agenda” in areas that include economic development and jobs, the environment, housing, health, the justice system, and mobility. In the 2021 city/county budget, Missoula has committed $1.1 million to address “core values,” which includes environmental sustainability and social equity. Under the “diversity and equity” category, the county plans to place more than $70,000 to develop a strategy to address affordable housing and staff a full-time position to implement the strategies that result. It also plans to spend more than $99,000 for an equity coordinator and $39,000 for a compliance coordinator. To read the two articles highlighting these changes, click here and here.
Buffalo, NY: Congratula tions to Rita Hubbard-Robinson, President and CEO of NeuWater & Associates, LLC, and Invest Health Buffalo city team member, for receiving Leadership Buffalo’s Virtual Values Award for Inclusion. She received this honor because of her many achievements and commitment to the improvement of health and social determinants of health for over 30 years. To watch the virtual award ceremony, click here.
Keep sharing updates on your work, including special events and news media pieces to us using this online FORM. We look forward to hearing from you and the notable news your Invest Health city team is creating!
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