Earlier this month the Bipartisan Policy Center held an event to discuss its new report, "Building the Case: Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and Health.” In remarks at the event, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), lead sponsor of the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act (S. 548), made the case that the Housing Credit is the most critical component in the delivery of affordable housing, noting that strengthening the credit would not only expand the supply of affordable housing, but would also reduce costs for taxpayers and improve public health. Following Sen. Cantwell’s speech, a panel of health and housing experts discussed innovative ways to leverage the Housing Credit and other federal policy to improve health outcomes. Enterprise’s Stephany De Scisciolo, senior director of Knowledge, Impact & Strategy, addressed the data gaps in measuring health in housing over time, in addition to how the Opportunity360 platform can help identify areas of opportunity with positive social determinants of health. Michelle M. Rushing, policy impact specialist at the Georgia Health Policy Center, described how states can incorporate Health Impact Assessment into their Qualified Action Plans, and Jenny Ismert, vice president of housing at UnitedHealthcare, discussed the different ways health stakeholders, such as health insurance providers, can better assist low-income people attain housing. Read more about the report in Enterprise’s blog post.
Bipartisan Policy Center Event Highlights New Health and Housing Research
Oklahoma Coalition for Affordable Housing 