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Healthcare & Housing: Benefits of Partnering

Oct 11, 2019

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Blog Feature Image Healthcare Housing (2)

Recent research supports the idea that stable housing plays a huge role in the health of individuals, neighborhoods and entire communities. When individuals have access to safe, high-quality and affordable housing, positive health outcomes increase and costs for local healthcare systems are reduced. In fact, a 2017 study by Boston University Medical Center estimated that unstable housing among families could cost the United States healthcare industry $111 billion over the next 10 years. The study links costs to increased hospitalizations, dental procedures, ambulatory and mental health care visits. Healthcare providers are responding with housing solutions.

Healthcare systems and insurers throughout the country are increasingly looking for ways to incorporate housing into their operations – whether it’s funding new construction, partnering with local developers or embedding healthcare services within residential communities. Individuals that live in settings that integrate supportive healthcare become less dependent on emergency departments for primary care. They have better adherence to health, medication and nutrition regimens; all of which improve their overall health and well-being.

Examples of healthcare and housing partnerships are cropping up all over the country. In New Jersey, the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency and the New Jersey Hospital Association announced a partnership in 2018 to support the development of mixed-income housing with supportive services on or near hospital campuses. UnitedHealthcare has also provided more than $400 million in equity since 2011 to help finance and build affordable residential communities.

As a company dedicated to improving lives through housing, Pennrose has begun working with healthcare providers that understand the dramatic impact quality housing has on well-being. We are working with them to creating housing solutions that meet the specific health needs of the community, while addressing the concerns of the healthcare organization – such as financial loss driven by emergency department readmission, need for additional space to deliver healthcare services or lack of available workforce housing. Our goal is to offer integrated services on-site to connect residents with the help and support they need to stay healthy.

In Allentown, Pennsylvania, Pennrose partnered with St. Luke’s Hospital to develop West Turner Residences, an affordable multifamily community near the hospital’s campus. West Turner Residences offers 61 apartments for seniors and has 6,000 square feet of ground floor space designed to host community health programs offered by the hospital. Residents and the local community now have easy access to the programs, including a diabetes education center, food pharmacy, job center, and social services resource and triage center. There is even a pedestrian walkway connecting the residential building to the hospital.

In Findlay, Ohio, Pennrose is also currently working with Blanchard Valley Health System (BVHS) on a multi-phase initiative. Phase one will create 50 units of affordable senior housing, with phase two delivering an additional 48 units of affordable family housing and 27 units of workforce housing for health system staff. Many healthcare providers value the opportunity to add housing for critical staff nearby. The first phase of senior apartments will be located across from Birchaven Village, a continuing care retirement community owned by BVHS, which will allow for access to healthcare services, programming and services specifically designed for seniors.

At Pennrose, our mission is to transform lives through safe and secure housing. When we have the opportunity to partner with healthcare organizations to provide housing in combination with tailored supportive and healthcare services, we can help residents lead fulfilling lives and change entire communities for the better.

Read more about our dedication to transforming communities for the better on the Pennrose blog.