SAHF collaborates with its members and partners, to develop and promote policies and practices that help create more affordable homes that are sustainable and resident centered. Existing financial tools don’t always center residents or support innovation, so we work with partners on financial innovation that help put our policy and practice work into action so people and communities can thrive.
Health and Housing Fund
The Health & Housing Fund is a partnership of UnitedHealth Group, Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF) and National Affordable Housing Trust (NAHT). With approximately $200 million of investment, the fund will create and preserve nearly 2,000 homes for older adults and families at risk of housing insecurity. The first of its kind fund pairs equity investments with grants to support on-site health-related services for residents. SAHF is measuring, analyzing, and reporting on residents’ outcomes across a range of social determinants of health over a five year period.
Strong Families Fund
The Strong Families Fund is a ten-year initiative of the Kresge Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Corporation for Supportive Housing, Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future, the Community Development Trust, Goldman Sachs, and National Affordable Housing Trust. The purpose of The Strong Families Fund is to stimulate and support innovate strategies to design, deliver, and measure the impact of Resident Service Coordination for families. The fund combines federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit for capital development with a pay-for-performance model to provide access to up to 10 years of incentive payments for developments. In return, developments must provide on-site social-service coordination targeted to improving resident and property outcome measures in five areas, including health and wellness, housing stability, and education. Multiple studies have cited improved outcomes for families and children from high-quality affordable housing with well-defined links to services. Such settings, research shows, also may lead to a reduction in other public-sector costs.
With the assistance of The Strong Families Fund, residents have access to a variety of supportive services through the coordinators specifically tailored to the needs of the community. Innovative approaches have been taken to integrate stable housing with community services such as finance management classes, nutrition and exercise classes, and after-school tutoring. Residents are eligible to participate in the services at no additional cost. This gives residents opportunities to improve their health and wellness, increase the success of their children in school, and live independently with dignity. A stable, healthy home sets the foundation for families to build brighter futures.