Juan Mesa
Community Communications Manager
Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA)
(415) 463-7196
jmesa@medasf.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Report Finding Reveals Impact of Housing Conditions on the Health of Low-Income Latinos in San Francisco
”Health Equity Through Housing” is the result of a project undertaken with the support of a grant from the California Department of Public Health
SAN FRANCISCO, JAN. 31, 2023 — MEDA’s Policy Counsel, Director of Advocacy, Norma Garcia, will be joined today by elected and health officials and community members at the Polk St. steps of San Francisco’s City Hall to present the findings of a year-long research project entitled, ”Health Equity Through Housing,” undertaken with the support of a grant from the California Department of Public Health.
As a 50-year-old community economic development organization deeply embedded in creating more affordable housing opportunities in San Francisco, MEDA understands how critical housing is to health. MEDA undertook this project to document the experience of San Francisco’s hard-hit Latino community during some of our city’s darkest days to better inform policymakers of the repercussions on our community and to look for solutions. With a focus on five San Francisco neighborhoods, (Mission, Excelsior, Visitacion Valley, Bayview, and the Tenderloin), Garcia investigated the nexus between housing and related social determinants of health and the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on San Francisco’s low-income Latino population.
“COVID-19 merely lifted the veil on what happens when the social determinants of health are stacked against a vulnerable community in the face of a fierce disease,” said García. “This project underscored that affordable, safe and dignified housing is integral to health and wellbeing and should be considered a public health imperative.”
The report includes feedback from 261 survey respondents and recommendations from dozens of community stakeholders who participated in the project. The project recommendations are presented in-depth in the Community Roadmap for Recovery and Greater Health Equity section. The community-generated recommendations offer a starting point for a better future. Undoubtedly, the community will add to this list and adapt as needed. What MEDA created through this project provides a blueprint for other communities nationally to examine how COVID-19 and housing, and other vulnerabilities in the social determinants of health, have impacted them.
We invite you to read the full report at the following link: Health Equity Through Housing
###
About Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA)
MEDA is a 50-year-old nonprofit started in 1973. Rooted in San Francisco’s Mission District, MEDA is advancing a national equity movement by building Latino prosperity, community ownership and civic power. We envision generations of Latino families choosing where to call home, thriving economically, succeeding in learning opportunities, and leading policy and social change toward a more equitable society.
Leave a reply