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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Housing and homelessness

Mental Health in Rural New York: Findings and Implications of a Listening Tour with Residents and Professionals
Findings from the Rural Mental Health Listening Tour of New York State, conducted between March 2020 and September 2021 to elicit input and experiences of community members living and working in rural areas. Presents strengths and assets of rural communities, and highlights model programs and success stories. Includes recommendations in categories including access to transportation and broadband, access to mental health programs, availability of services, improving and sustaining workforce capacity, and offers state- and county-specific recommendations.
Author(s): Brett Harris, Katie Gallant, Abby Mariani
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
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HUD Rural Capacity Building for Community Development and Affordable Housing (RCB) Program
Provides an overview of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Rural Capacity Building for Community Development and Affordable Housing program (RCB). Outlines the program structure and administration, eligibility for primary grantees and their activities, and fiscal year 2019 and 2020 RCB award amounts.
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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A Portrait of the Valley: San Joaquin Valley Human Development Report 2023
Report offering an overview of 8 counties in central California using the Human Development Index, a measure of wellness using health, education, and earnings indicators. Discusses rural throughout. Includes data at the census-tract level.
Date: 2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Measure of America
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Taking Stock: Rural People, Rural Places, Rural Housing
Provides an overview of rural definitions, people, places, housing, and poverty in the United States. Includes U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) and Decennial Census of Population and Housing data that illustrate trends in rural demographics and economy, with data depicted through statistics, charts, and maps. Discusses social determinants of health (SDOH) and issues such as COVID-19, natural disasters, equity, and more.
Date: 2023
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Housing Assistance Council
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An Updated Measure of Poverty: (Re)Drawing the Line
Examines the strengths and weaknesses of the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) and makes recommendations to update it to better reflect the resources available to households. Includes discussion of geographic variation in the cost of living in metropolitan versus nonmetro areas and the potential for a finer level of detail to reveal variations for expenses like housing and transportation.
Additional links: Read Online
Date: 2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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A Snapshot of Housing Supports in Rural Contexts
Examines available housing, housing supports, housing challenges and needs, and opportunities to strengthen services that promote secure housing in rural areas. Includes a county-level U.S. map that depicts the percentage of rural households that are cost-burdened. Discusses the impact of housing on human services needs as well as social and economic well-being.
Author(s): Emma Ward, James Murdoch, Corianne Payton Scally, Anna Morgan, Neel Chakraborti
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: 2M Research, Administration for Children and Families, Urban Institute
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Addressing Unequal Access to Energy in Indiana
Examines disparities in energy needs in Indiana, defined by the minimum level of energy a household requires for basic needs like heating the home and cooking meals. Includes county-level map of energy burden in Indiana and discusses energy needs in rural areas.
Author(s): Kristi Schultz, Ted Deitz, Cheyenne Morris, Marissa Eckert
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Indiana University Public Policy Institute
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All In: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness
Provides a framework for the federal government's strategic plan to prevent and reduce homelessness in the United States 25% by 2025. Discusses the current state of homelessness; feedback gained from listening sessions and public comments; disparities for LGBTQ+ persons, racial minorities, the formerly incarcerated, and those with disabilities; and the social determinants that cause homelessness. Includes strategic planning that collaborates with federal housing, mental health, and drug control agencies.
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: United States Interagency Council on Homelessness
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Serving Native American Households Using ERA: Learning from High-Spending Programs
Examines high-spending Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) on Native lands to address housing issues such as overcrowding, homelessness, and application accessibility, among others. Examines 7 Tribes and Tribally Designated Housing Entities (TDHEs) in the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, and Nebraska. Provides background on housing instability, statistics about allocated funding and households served by ERA, and challenges TDHEs face.
Author(s): Neetu Nair, Sophie Siebach-Glover, Andrew Aurand
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: National Low Income Housing Coalition, United Native American Housing Association
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Social Determinants of Health in the Age of COVID: Effects of Social Isolation Among Adults 62+ in Rural Pennsylvania
Results of a study analyzing the extent of social isolation among rural Pennsylvanians aged 62 or older during the pandemic, evaluating determinants of social isolation, identifying programs and services that minimize social isolation, and assessing potential replicability in Pennsylvania. Includes sections on factors such as mental health access, faith-based organizations, transportation, technology use, and housing options.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Christopher Harris, FangHsun Wei, Mary Rita Weller, Kelly Smith
Date: 11/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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