Rural News
Jennifer Emerling / There Is More Work To Be Done
Jennifer Emerling / There Is More Work To Be Done
NeighborWorks Umpqua Conducts Health Impact Assessment in Oregon
A recent health impact assessment was conducted in Curry County, Oregon by NeighborWorks Umpqua, in partnership with a number of other organizations. The health impact assessment was launched in order to inform a pilot project called the Housing Stock Upgrade Initiative. This project was desperately needed because forty percent of the county’s manufactured homes are substandard, and the manufactured housing did not qualify for replacement and repair assistance provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the State of Oregon.
The project provides lower-cost loans and other funds to improve or replace manufactured homes in Curry County. The health impact assessment found that replacing older homes could improve the mental and physical health of residents. The assessment also outlined opportunities for local hiring for the labor of construction and repairs of the homes, as well as methods which allow elderly residents to age in place.
NeighborWorks Umpqua works to provide low-income people with safe and affordable housing, as well as community-based economic development opportunities. HAC has partnered with NeighborWorks Umpqua in the past, and the organization received a Green Building award at the 2010 HAC Rural Housing Conference.
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