“Housing should be fair for everyone. Even if you need low-income housing or are coming through a housing program, you should still expect a standard,” says Giacoma Telich, Community Health Worker (CHW) for Health Care Access Now (HCAN). Many factors contribute to whether housing is suitable, she states. The bare minimum is “housing that does…
The Housing Choice Voucher Program (formerly called Section 8) is a part of the Housing Act of 1937. The program was initiated in the early 1970s to assist low-income households with housing costs. People who receive vouchers—usually after a lengthy stay on a waiting list—have a limited period to find a place to live. It’s…
Health Care Access Now (HCAN) trains and dispatches Community Health Workers (CHWs) to assist vulnerable people in the Cincinnati community so they can achieve good health outcomes. Using the Pathways Community HUB model (HUB), CHWs identify and help remove clients’ obstacles to a healthy life. CHWs provide Educations on each of these barriers. One such…
“She went from homeless to a stable situation.” Denise Harris, Director, Care Coordination Services at Health Care Access Now (HCAN) and Licensed Professional Counselor, tells the story of a client whose whole life improved because of a housing change. With the assistance of her HCAN Community Health Worker (CHW), this woman moved into a community…
The practice of redlining, or racial segregation and discriminatory practices in the real estate industry, started to be exercised about a hundred years ago. In many U.S. cities, certain neighborhoods were identified as “hazardous” based on the racial makeup of their inhabitants. Then, lending institutions used this information to deny home loans to people from…
Cathy Boston’s background in Human Resources has allowed her to develop expertise in empowering people “to become their best selves.” She tells the story of how her business, STATEMENTS by Cathy Boston, LLC, came about. In her previous position, she was responsible for internal training and development. “I was asked to do stress management training…
Imagine that you live in Over-the-Rhine in one of the only apartments you can afford. It’s unsafe, quite run-down, and the utilities aren’t reliable. When something breaks, you’re not sure if it will be fixed. You don’t have access to private transportation, and public transportation isn’t always in your budget, so you’re grateful to have…
During the first year Tessa Johnson worked as a paraprofessional for the Cincinnati Public School system, she felt overwhelmed. She knew the children she helped needed more than just school support. Understanding she couldn’t reach everyone was a tough pill to swallow. But she persevered, and now she gets messages from former students thanking her…
April Biggers joined the Community Health Worker (CHW) program at Health Care Access Now (HCAN) on the advice of a friend—now co-worker—who raved about the position. “I knew I wanted a career, not just a job. I wanted somewhere I could grow and flourish. I wanted to be able to make a difference,” she says….
Health can be affected by many social determinants, including access to affordable housing. If an individual struggles to make rent or mortgage payments, that person likely has limited resources for other necessities that can impact health. According to the Center for Housing Policy, “Affordable housing alleviates crowding and makes more household resources available to pay…
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