Emerging Strategies for Integrating Health and Housing

There is increasing interest in policies and programs that sit at the intersection of housing and health. New health care entities, such as Accountable Care Organizations, primary care medical homes, health homes, a variety of Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation demonstrations, as well as providers and insurers, are seeking to manage population health and are looking to intervene on non-health factors that improve health and decrease costs. Despite interest, there is little evidence regarding what works at the intersection of housing and health in this nascent field.

In this project, we will work with key informants from the health and housing sectors to identify innovative practices and conduct in-depth case studies of 6 emerging and promising interventions. We will seek to find models that:

1. align health services and housing in one place;
2. optimize health sector investments in housing; or
3. use housing and community development policies to promote health.

The case studies will identify the unique aspects of the intervention, motivation for the initiative, challenges and contributors to success, evidence of health improvements and costs savings, lessons learned, and additional policies needed to facilitate change. These case studies will be part of a growing toolbox for community groups, health systems and insurers, and housing and community development organizations interested in such inter-sector collaborations.