As part of the Housing for Health Program in Baltimore, a hospital-sponsored affordable housing program has demonstrated positive impacts on the community. By evaluating broader social, environmental, and economic benefits, opposed to quantifying traditional return on investment, researchers found that the program generated between $1.30 and $1.92 of social return in the community for every dollar in annual operating costs. The study evaluated the Bon Secours Hospital’s Housing for Health program in West Baltimore. The hospital owns 801 affordable housing units serving low-income renters, people with disabilities and seniors. The findings strengthen the case for affordable housing as a healthcare issue.
“These findings suggest that broader access to affordable housing could produce a positive social value and demonstrate the relevance of social-return-on-investment (SROI) for quantifying the impacts of community health programs,” write the study’s authors.
Read the study for a fee here.
Read an article about the study’s finding in HealthCareDive here.
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