Connecting affordable housing and healthcare programs can improve both—especially for seniors and disabled people.
As increasing numbers of seniors and disabled people rely on rental assistance, a new report suggests turning to a model of affordable housing that connects residents to healthcare services.
"Seniors and people with disabilities share many of the same non-housing needs; access to healthcare is perhaps the most crucial," Eillie Anzilotti explains in CityLab. "Affordable housing programs could act as a convener for less expensive and more sustainable health services for those in need."
Some HUD programs serve this purpose by siting health service coordinators in affordable housing developments, while private housing companies partner with non-profits to bring health services to their properties. The Public and Affordable Housing Research Corporation, which authored the report, wants Congress to consider these models when crafting housing policy.
Anzilotti notes that PAHRC's report is among the first to establish the benefits of linking housing and healthcare. Other research has shown that housing throughout the country—and particularly in the suburbs—is inadequate to meet the needs of aging populations, and that there is an insufficient supply of housing that accommodates disabled people.
FULL STORY: Connecting Health Services With Affordable Housing
Middle-Class Seniors Losing Access to Housing and Healthcare
In the next decade, the number of middle-income seniors who can't afford assisted living will nearly double.
Parking, Density, and Affordable Housing in California
A bill to reduce parking minimums for residential or mixed-use developments that include affordable units passed a key Senate committee. AB 744 amends the state's density bonus law, itself controversial, that incentivizes building affordable housing.
Housing America's Older Population—New Report Details the Challenge
A new study from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University and the AARP Foundation has produced a pile of data on the country's aging population and its implications for housing and planning policy.
Minneapolis Housing Plan a Success—Not for the Reason You Think
Housing advocates praise the city’s move to eliminate single-family zoning by legalizing triplexes on single-family lots, but that isn’t why housing construction is growing.
New White House Housing Initiative Includes Zoning Reform Incentives
The Biden administration this morning released a new program of actions intended to spur housing construction around the United States.
‘Mega-Landlords’ Threaten Housing Stability for Renters
As institutional investors buy up a larger share of single-family homes, the families renting them are increasingly vulnerable to rent increases and eviction.
More Funds to Transform the Puente Hills Landfill into a Regional Park
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors just approved an additional $28 million to support the development of the Puente Hills Regional Park at the landfill site.
Denver Freeway Widening Plans on Hold
The Colorado Department of Transportation’s plan to widen the Interstate 25 freeway through Denver is one of a few plans to widen urban freeways under consideration in the United States.
Public Perceptions of Sprawl and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Urban density has a bad reputation.
Clarion Associates
Urban Planning Partners
Sandy City
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Redwood City
City of Rohnert Park
City of Hot Springs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.
