New Guidance Proposes Opportunities for Hospitals to Improve Health through Housing

Enterprise and the Catholic Health Association (CHA) have released “Housing and Community Benefit: What Counts?,” guidance for tax-exempt hospitals on what housing-related activities they can report as a community benefit to the IRS. The paper provides examples to inform hospitals about current activities and to help identify future opportunities, such as offering home environmental assessments for patients who present to the emergency room with asthma, and creating housing programs for formerly incarcerated individuals. Enterprise and CHA will co-host a webinar on February 8 examining the evidence base that connects health and housing and the specifics of the guidance.