The Prescription is Home: Housing as Healthcare

If you walked into a doctor's office with a chronic cough, you may receive a prescription for medicine. But what if the real culprit was the mold in an unsafe apartment?

There are many factors that influence wellbeing, with the healthcare industry widely agreeing that only 20% of a person’s health outcomes are determined by medical care. The remaining 80% is driven by a person’s environment and lifestyle—including where we live. 

A large, local healthcare company recognizes that quality housing achieves positive public health outcomes. During their recent employee build week, Fairview announced a $1 million Program Related Investment (PRI) to Twin Cities Habitat.

"Everyone deserves the opportunity to live in a safe, stable home,” said James Hereford, Fairview Chief Executive Officer. “This investment reflects our continued commitment to strengthening communities by addressing the factors that shape health beyond clinical care. By providing affordable capital to Twin Cities Habitat for housing development, we're helping create lasting opportunities for Minnesota families to thrive."

Fairview's PRI will support Habitat's predevelopment activities including site acquisition, planning, architectural design, site preparation, and other early-stage work required before construction financing becomes available.

“This program-related investment will provide critical predevelopment funds—often the most challenging to secure—to allow Twin Cities Habitat to innovate and scale our work including at our largest-ever development, The Heights,” said Chris Coleman, President & CEO of Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity. “We are grateful for Fairview’s leadership and partnership in helping more families in our communities access homes they can afford, and the opportunity to build healthy, secure futures.”

This investment enables construction across the Twin Cities Habitat pipeline and will ultimately empower more families in the region to experience the transformational power of home.

For more information about how housing is health, and the impact of this partnership, please visit https://www.fairview.org/blog/fairview-invests-1-million-habitat-humanity.