Health and Housing

Quality, affordable, and stable housing that is connected to opportunity creates the foundation for a healthy life.

The lasting effects of redlining and other racist housing policies have led to significant health disparities across racial groups. Our program aims to promote better and more equitable health outcomes by delivering programs and grants, addressing the built environment, and building the field of health and housing. Working with healthcare organizations, affordable housing owners and operators, policymakers and philanthropy organizations, we will create a pathway towards a more equitable future.

Grant Making

Housing is a foundation for health in all communities. With this understanding, Enterprise is partnering with organizations nationwide to develop programs and grant opportunities that support the creation of more stable housing connected to the resources residents need to thrive.

Living in a stable and affordable home is particularly important as we age. As an emerging leader on aging well in affordable housing, our focus is on making aging with health, joy, and dignity at home an achievable opportunity.

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Featured Program

Thome Aging Well

Funded by the Edward N. and Della L. Thome Memorial Foundation, Bank of America trustee, the Aging Well Program supports organizations in Michigan and Maryland that aim to expand existing programs and implement innovative approaches for older adult care in affordable housing.

Learn more about the Thome Aging Well Program.

The Built Environment

We are national leaders in promoting health through the built environment. Our Green Communities Criteria — the only national green building program created by and for the affordable housing sector — contains 33 health-promoting criteria. In the newest version of our award-winning standards, we partnered with the WELL Building Institute to offer Enterprise Green Communities and WELL co-certification as a means of advancing health outcomes in affordable housing.

In addition to our criteria, our Health Action Plan has helped more than 30 affordable housing developers put health at the center of their design, development, and preservation projects. The plan pairs affordable housing developers with public health professionals to prioritize the health needs of their communities through data analysis and community engagement.

To date, this work has connected 149 residents at the Villages with health services and has helped 92% of residents with chronic disease management plans reach at least one treatment goal.

Jim Grauley, CEO, Columbia Residential

Building the Field

Together with our partners, we are building the field of health and housing research through collaboration, information sharing, and research. We specialize in fostering cross-sector partnerships. In our Health Begins with Home convening series, we explored multiple pathways for healthcare and affordable housing practitioners to collaborate while centering the needs of the community. In Services in Housing, we explore how the incorporation of services into housing could strengthen our public health infrastructure and advance health equity.

Our experienced Capital team also creates innovative ways to connect organizations with the finances needed to support these programs. A key example of this is our Housing for Health Fund, which helps preserve affordable housing while strengthening the connection between health and housing as a pathway to housing stability, good health, and better life outcomes. This unique approach centers on residents' voices and needs through a Health Action Plan, combining capital investment with ongoing evaluation.

Resources

Optimal Ventilation for Environmental Indoor Air Quality Study

Findings from a national research study exploring the impact of mechanical ventilation on indoor air quality.

Overcoming Challenges in Housing-based Research

Insights from a longitudinal housing-based research study on how green building practices in affordable housing affect residents' respiratory health.

Moving Towards Health Equity

An issue brief from our Services in Housing series focused on the role affordable housing can plan in moving the U.S. towards achieving health equity.

Growth Opportunities for Service Delivery and Medicaid Partnerships

This issue brief from our Services in Housing series focuses on how the healthcare and affordable housing sectors can influence their industries to become more united in their approach.

Aging in Place Design Guidelines

These guidelines address the physical barriers that prevent people from aging at home, supporting independence while accommodating changing physical and mental capabilities.

State QAP & Health Action Plan Guide

Helps determine if a state’s QAP prioritizes health in the design and construction of affordable housing, and if not, provides recommendations for how to affect that change.

Health Action Plan Template

Outlines requirements, seven steps for implementation, and provides a template to create your Health Action Plan.

Resident Focus Group Guide

Designed to help public health professionals plan a focus group for the Health Action Plan.

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Building to Heal

Our framework is designed for our partners on the ground — the organizations working every day to help people and communities heal from deep historical and ongoing disinvestment and racism.

See Our Healing-Centered Tools