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The initiative is a first of its kind collaboration between the Baltimore Regional Housing Partnership, Housing Authority of Baltimore City, and local healthcare providers.
For Immediate Release: June 3, 2021
Contact: Tiffani Long, tlong@brhp.org, 667-207-2154
Baltimore, MD – The Baltimore Regional Housing Partnership (BRHP) announced today that it was the recipient of a $400,000 grant from the Kresge Foundation to administer the Healthy Children Voucher Demonstration, a program that will assist 150 Baltimore City families move to better quality housing to improve their health outcomes. The initiative is a partnership between BRHP, the Housing Authority of Baltimore City (HABC), researchers from Johns Hopkins, and local healthcare providers, and has the goal of addressing underlying causes of poor health, low educational attainment, and intergenerational poverty.
The program’s implementation funding follows a one-year planning phase that was also funded by the Kresge Foundation in 2019 as a part of its Advancing Health Equity Through Housing Initiative. The funding will support the program over two years and will operate in conjunction with BRHP’s Baltimore Housing Mobility Program, which helps over 4,300 families annually access and transition to better quality housing and neighborhoods throughout the Baltimore region through a coupling of Housing Choice Vouchers and pre- and post-move counseling services. The program will target families with children who can benefit medically and developmentally from making a move to a healthier home environment.
“We are excited to partner with HABC and the prestigious healthcare experts we have here in Baltimore to interrupt cycles of both poverty and poor health that plague so many families with low incomes in our city,” said Adria Crutchfield, BRHP executive director. “It’s about giving more families a fighting chance at a better quality of life and health through housing, not just for now, but for generations to come. A place to call home is the foundation for good health and we appreciate the Kresge Foundation’s support of us to make an impact through this initiative.”
Program participants will include current HABC voucher holders, who will be referred to the program by their healthcare providers and screened for eligibility and interest by the housing authority and BRHP. All participants will complete the Baltimore Housing Mobility Program’s counseling program before receiving a voucher to lease housing in the private market. Participants will receive support from the counseling program for one year following their move.
This unprecedented health effort comes at a pivotal moment as the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted low-income communities of color in Baltimore City. Over the next two years, the program will track the health outcomes of participants through interviews and surveys. The initial focus of the program is to give healthcare providers a mechanism to address patients’ medical conditions through healthier housing.
“This is an exciting opportunity for some of our families in the Housing Choice Voucher Program,” said HABC President and CEO Janet Abrahams. “Where a family lives can greatly influence their health outcomes. Conditions such as asthma, high blood pressure, and lack of prenatal care are prevalent in many of the low-income communities we serve. Through this partnership, HABC is supporting giving families the opportunity to live in potentially healthier environments.”
For more background on the Baltimore Regional Housing Partnership: www.brhp.org
For more background on the Housing Authority of Baltimore City: www.habc.org
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