On Monday, August 27, 2018, Health & Medicine welcomed over 100 stakeholders to The Chicago Forum for Justice in Health Policy: Housing Justice for Health Equity. We thank our co-sponsor, the Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing, and are glad to contribute to the seven forums organized by members of the Chicago Housing Justice League.

The forum included speakers and panelists who provided different ways to think about housing as a public health issue. Together, we considered how to change structural determinants of health inequities, including policies, governance, and systems that exacerbate housing and health inequities—such that these can instead advancing equity in housing and health. In sum, the fight for equitable housing is also a fight for health equity.

Speakers and Resources:

• Moderator: Frank Avellone, Senior Attorney and Policy Coordinator, Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing, View the presentation.
• Kevin Jackson, Executive Director at Chicago Rehab Network
• Byron Sigcho, former Executive Director, Pilsen Alliance
• Leah Levinger, Executive Director, Chicago Housing Initiative, View the presentation.
• Christian Diaz, Housing Organizer, Logan Square Neighborhood Association
• Jacky Grimshaw, Vice President of Government Affairs, Center for Neighborhood Technology
• Chicago Housing Justice League’s Recommendations for the Five Year Housing Plan, 2019-2023, to the Chicago Department of Planning & Development – July 31, 2018

Forum Background:
Recognizing the inextricable link between housing and health, some health sector initiatives—like hospitals investing in supportive housing for selections of patients—have recently begun to address housing needs for some individuals, buoyed by the Affordable Care Act’s focus on population health as part of the Triple Aim. The health sector as a whole should build on these efforts by utilizing its power and influence to support policies to intervene on structural determinants of health inequities related to housing.

• How do structural inequities stratify access to high-quality, safe, accessible, affordable housing in Chicago?
• What are some policy solutions to these inequities?
• What are the health implications of different housing policies?
• What is the City’s five-year housing plan and how can it help support healthy communities?

These and other questions were explored at this forum.

Health & Medicine is a part of the Chicago Housing Justice League (CHJL), a coalition of 37 organizations focused on advancing a set of principles for Chicago’s next five-year housing plan. The Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing is co-sponsoring this forum with Health & Medicine. The event provided an opportunity to hear from Chicago officials leading the planning process, learn about the principles of the CHJL, hear from advocates about in-progress development of the five-year housing plan, and to discuss how the health sector can be a stronger force for influencing equitable housing policies in Chicago.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the City of Chicago’s Five-Year Housing Plan
• List policies related to housing and relationship to health equity
• Describe input process on Chicago five-year housing plan