(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – The Center for Community Investment (CCI) at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy announced today the launch of Accelerating Investments for Healthy Communities (AIHC), and named Nationwide Children’s Hospital as one of six participants for its Healthy Neighborhoods Healthy Families (HNHF) initiative. AIHC will help health institutions and their community partners to deploy their assets – financial resources, land, and expertise – to advance affordable housing as a way to create more equitable, sustainable and healthy communities.
Composed of faith-based organizations, community development organizations, youth-serving nonprofits and local public schools, HNHF has sought to create positive health outcomes in the community since 2008. Its focus is on revitalizing Columbus’ South Side, the area around Nationwide Children’s, to support the health and well-being of children and families living in the 43205, 43206 and 43207 zip codes. The HNHF initiative targets five impact areas: affordable housing, education, health and wellness, safe and accessible neighborhoods, and workforce development.
“Nationwide Children’s Hospital will be able to help other health systems learn best practices from Healthy Neighborhoods Healthy Families, which has allowed more than 350 homes to be renovated, built or repaired. Our unique partnerships will also allow us to provide up to 170 single and multifamily units in the next five years to families living at or below 80 percent of area median income,” said Angela Mingo, director of Community Relations at Nationwide Children’s. “Giving more people access to affordable housing is the cornerstone of Nationwide Children’s initiative, and AIHC will help even more health institutions realize that goal.”
With support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, health care leaders and institutions at the leading edge of community investment will build on their existing momentum and planning accomplished last year, and take the next steps to partner with others in their communities to protect and increase the supply of affordable homes. Affordable homes are critical to ensuring good health and social and economic stability in a community.
“Hospitals and health systems can play an important role in creating robust community investment systems that reduce health inequities and help people thrive,” explains Robin Hacke, executive director of CCI. “This initiative paves the way for hospitals to collaborate with new partners to unlock capital and address shortages of affordable homes in their regions. We’re excited to see what these leading health care systems and hospitals will accomplish next.”
Participants in AIHC will include not only health system executives and staff, but also representatives from local government, affordable housing developers, foundations, community groups, and community development financial institutions.
Over the next two years, participants will develop and begin to execute a pipeline of affordable housing projects and work with partners to advance long-term community investment in affordable housing. They will also receive coaching and technical support; opportunities to learn with other communities doing similar work; and access to resources to advance their development strategies and leverage their investments.
“Hospitals and health systems are uniquely positioned in their communities to influence health far beyond their four walls,” said Don Schwarz, MD, MBA, senior vice president of Program at RWJF. “We’re excited to see these leading-edge hospitals and their partners work to improve health by expanding affordable housing and creating new investment pipelines that will light the path for other health institutions to follow suit.”
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About CCI
The Center for Community Investment (CCI) at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy works to ensure that all communities can unlock the capital they need to thrive. CCI is supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and The California Endowment. Learn more at centerforcommunityinvestment.org.
About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
For more than 45 years, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has worked to improve health and health care. We are working alongside others to build a national Culture of Health that provides everyone in America a fair and just opportunity for health and well-being. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org. Follow the Foundation on Twitter at www.rwjf.org/twitter or on Facebook at www.rwjf.org/facebook.