In Hospitals, Affordable Housing Gets the Long-Term Investor It Needs
In Hospitals, Affordable Housing Gets the Long-Term Investor It Needs The New York Times
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Health Care Systems and Affordable Housing Developers Partner for Sustainable Development Goals
Health care systems and affordable housing developers have a mutual financial interest in helping communities live healthier.
Ce’Yann Irving, a mother of a 1-year-old daughter, pays $990 a month for a two-bedroom apartment on the site of a former dairy processing plant in the Central City neighborhood of New Orleans. She has amenities, like a 24-hour gym and an on-site community clinic, at arm’s reach.
“I’m a first-time mom, so if my daughter coughs too long, I’m trying to take her to a doctor,” said Ms. Irving, 30, who is a disaster case manager for Catholic Charities. “Here, I can literally walk to the clinic, and if there’s a wait, just wait in my own apartment.”
The affordable housing complex, which has 192 apartments and opened in January, is a joint project of Alembic Community Development and the Gulf Coast Housing Partnership, an affordable housing developer formed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, in hopes of rebuilding the Gulf Coast region. The complex seeks to be a model for communities nationwide by linking stable housing to better health.
Aetna, a managed care organization that operates in the region, invested $26.7 million in the $80 million project, called H3C, whose “H” stands for health and the “3C” represents commerce, culture and community. Tenants and others in the community will have access to a medical clinic operated by DePaul Community Health Centers on the ground floor. Researchers at the Louisiana Public Health Institute will study patients’ health outcomes, and consultants at Health Management Associates will use the anonymized data to determine more effective ways that health systems can work with developers.
H3C is just one of many examples showing that health care systems are increasingly starting to see benefits in building affordable and safe housing, from the improved health of local communities to how much managed care groups benefit financially from those healthier populations. Those factors and others, including a shortage of housing for their own workers, have pushed health systems to become partners and investors in affordable housing.
Partnerships like this are “necessary,” said Peggy Bailey, vice president for housing policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a think tank. “It takes so many investors and so many types of funding to deliver an affordable housing development.”
Introduction
Benefits of Partnerships
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being | Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential healthcare services, and access to safe, effective, quality, and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all | Indicator not mentioned in the article |
| SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities | Target 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe, and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums | Indicator not mentioned in the article |
| SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals | Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private, and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships | Indicator not mentioned in the article |
1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?
SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
The article discusses the connection between health care systems and affordable housing developers in improving community health. This aligns with SDG 3, which aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
The article highlights the importance of affordable and safe housing in improving community health. This relates to SDG 11, which focuses on making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
The article emphasizes the need for partnerships between health care systems, affordable housing developers, and other stakeholders. This aligns with SDG 17, which aims to strengthen global partnerships for sustainable development.
2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?
Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential healthcare services, and access to safe, effective, quality, and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all
The article highlights the partnership between a managed care organization and an affordable housing developer to provide access to a medical clinic for tenants and the community. This contributes to achieving universal health coverage and access to quality healthcare services.
Target 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe, and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums
The article discusses the affordable housing complex that provides stable housing and amenities to improve the health of the community. This aligns with the target of ensuring access to adequate, safe, and affordable housing for all.
Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private, and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships
The article emphasizes the importance of partnerships between health care systems, affordable housing developers, and other stakeholders in delivering affordable housing developments. This supports the target of promoting effective partnerships for sustainable development.
3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?
Unfortunately, the article does not mention or imply any specific indicators that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets.
Note: The lack of indicators mentioned in the article does not mean that there are no relevant indicators available. It simply means that the article does not provide specific information in this regard.
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Source: nytimes.com
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