Housing and health systems need to work together. Public housing authorities (PHAs) are significant providers of housing to those in need, offering the health sector scale and expertise. Little was known about how PHAs worked with the health sector writ large. By surveying PHAs across the country, we found that most are engaged in a wide range of partnerships with different health organizations that address various target populations and health priorities. Barriers to housing-health collaboration, such as funding and staffing capacity, can be overcome with cross-system partnerships that seek to address these needs.
Surveys by the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) and the Public & Affordable Housing Research Corporation (PAHRC) sought to learn more about the prevalence and types of health partnerships large public housing authorities are implementing to serve the health care needs of their residents.