CREATING HEALTHY AND AFFORDABLE RENTAL HOUSING IN GRANVILLE AND VANCE COUNTIES, NORTH CAROLINA

This proposal addresses the critical necessity for Affordable and Healthy Housing in Granville and Vance counties, North Carolina, a wicked problem within the "Neighborhood and Built Environment" domain of the Social Determinants of Health. Previous studies found that 17% of residents in Granville and Vance counties endured a variation of housing insecurity between 2014 and 2018 (Johnson et al., 2022). Housing problems included overcrowding, poor infrastructure, and cost-burden rents. Poor housing causes a multitude of ailments, including respiratory illnesses and chronic stress. These afflictions disproportionately affect low-income and minority populations. This proposal presents systemic barriers, identifies a steering committee of diverse partners, and analyzes current policies to address fixes that backfired in the Fair Housing Act and Tenant-Based Rental Assistance initiative. We used a comprehensive systems approach to analyze the interactions between structural, social, and policy factors that reinforce housing insecurity. Our change initiative includes three strategic goals. The primary goal is to increase the availability of affordable housing, the secondary goal is to protect current renters from displacement, and the final goal is to revitalize communities through coordinated development efforts. The steering committee of renters, landlords, local housing authorities, and advocacy groups will guide the initiative, prioritizing co-design and legal reformation. To achieve stakeholder consensus, we created actionable policy recommendations, including clarifying legal protections, improving enforcement mechanisms, and increasing landlord incentives for healthy and affordable housing. This proposal aims to foster healthy and affordable housing in Granville and Vance counties, North Carolina, by promoting community engagement, legal reformation, and a sustainable development plan.