Human Services to Support Rural Health – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Human Services to Support Rural Health.
Human Services in Rural Contexts: Comprehensive Report
Provides an overview of human services in rural areas, with information focused on human services programs and benefits, economic and social well-being, persistent poverty communities, and adaptations to overcome access barriers in rural areas. Includes tables, graphs, and county-level U.S. maps depicting human services needs.
Author(s): Emily Brimsek, James Murdoch, Emma Ward, Neel Chakraborti, Ashton Cain
Date: 01/2023
Sponsoring organizations: 2M Research, Administration for Children and Families, Urban Institute
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Provides an overview of human services in rural areas, with information focused on human services programs and benefits, economic and social well-being, persistent poverty communities, and adaptations to overcome access barriers in rural areas. Includes tables, graphs, and county-level U.S. maps depicting human services needs.
Author(s): Emily Brimsek, James Murdoch, Emma Ward, Neel Chakraborti, Ashton Cain
Date: 01/2023
Sponsoring organizations: 2M Research, Administration for Children and Families, Urban Institute
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Rural Resource Guide: Affordable Housing and Recovery in Rural Communities
Provides an overview on federal regulations related to housing applicants with substance use disorder (SUD) and/or criminal charges. Reports on housing programs provided by Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Discusses affordable housing in rural areas as a necessary component in SUD recovery.
Date: 01/2023
Sponsoring organization: Housing Assistance Council
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Provides an overview on federal regulations related to housing applicants with substance use disorder (SUD) and/or criminal charges. Reports on housing programs provided by Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Discusses affordable housing in rural areas as a necessary component in SUD recovery.
Date: 01/2023
Sponsoring organization: Housing Assistance Council
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Common Problems, Common Solutions: Looking Across Sectors at Strategies for Supporting Rural Youth and Families Tool-Kit
Provides an overview of barriers faced by rural communities in supporting youth and families, and innovative strategies to improve outcomes for youth, families, and communities. Informed by interviews and listening sessions with practitioners and leaders working in rural areas across the United States.
Author(s): Lisa Pilnik, Christine Humowitz
Date: 2023
Sponsoring organizations: Georgetown University Center for Juvenile Justice Reform, U.S. Department of Justice
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Provides an overview of barriers faced by rural communities in supporting youth and families, and innovative strategies to improve outcomes for youth, families, and communities. Informed by interviews and listening sessions with practitioners and leaders working in rural areas across the United States.
Author(s): Lisa Pilnik, Christine Humowitz
Date: 2023
Sponsoring organizations: Georgetown University Center for Juvenile Justice Reform, U.S. Department of Justice
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A Snapshot of Racial Inequities in Human Services Programs in Rural Contexts
Examines the need for human services across rural counties and broken down by racial/ethnic groups. Provides data on human services funding per person, unemployment rate, poverty rate, access to broadband, and access to vehicles by rural Black, Hispanic, Native, and White citizens. Includes a 2018 county-level U.S. map that depicts rural counties with high needs for human services.
Author(s): Emma Ward, James Murdoch, Neel Chakraborti
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organizations: 2M Research, Administration for Children and Families
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Examines the need for human services across rural counties and broken down by racial/ethnic groups. Provides data on human services funding per person, unemployment rate, poverty rate, access to broadband, and access to vehicles by rural Black, Hispanic, Native, and White citizens. Includes a 2018 county-level U.S. map that depicts rural counties with high needs for human services.
Author(s): Emma Ward, James Murdoch, Neel Chakraborti
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organizations: 2M Research, Administration for Children and Families
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Exploring Remaining Needs and Opportunities for Improvement in Rural Communities: A Focus on Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood (HMRF) Services
Report discusses the distribution and impact of the Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood (HMRF) programs in rural counties across the country. Highlights the counties with programs funded my HMRF and counties that lack HMRF services.
Author(s): Ashton Cain, Emma Ward, James Murdoch, Neel Chakraborti
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organizations: 2M Research, Administration for Children and Families
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Report discusses the distribution and impact of the Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood (HMRF) programs in rural counties across the country. Highlights the counties with programs funded my HMRF and counties that lack HMRF services.
Author(s): Ashton Cain, Emma Ward, James Murdoch, Neel Chakraborti
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organizations: 2M Research, Administration for Children and Families
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Exploring Remaining Needs and Opportunities for Improvement in Rural Communities: A Focus on Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) Programs
Report explores the distribution and impact of the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) in rural counties. Details the grant recipient type and location by state and county. Discusses the remaining need for HPOG in rural counties.
Author(s): Emma Ward, Emily Brimsek, James Murdoch, Neel Chakraborti
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organizations: 2M Research, Administration for Children and Families
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Report explores the distribution and impact of the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) in rural counties. Details the grant recipient type and location by state and county. Discusses the remaining need for HPOG in rural counties.
Author(s): Emma Ward, Emily Brimsek, James Murdoch, Neel Chakraborti
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organizations: 2M Research, Administration for Children and Families
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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
Sponsoring organizations: National Low Income Housing Coalition, United Native American Housing Association
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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
Sponsoring organizations: National Low Income Housing Coalition, United Native American Housing Association
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USDA Rural Housing Programs: An Overview
Outlines housing programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Rural Housing Service (RHS) and targeted specifically to residents of rural communities. Describes trends related to Section 502 Direct and Guaranteed Loans. Highlights policy proposals regarding multifamily housing preservation and the administration of rural housing programs. Includes information on the appropriations of rural housing programs between fiscal years 2017-2021.
Date: 03/2022
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Outlines housing programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Rural Housing Service (RHS) and targeted specifically to residents of rural communities. Describes trends related to Section 502 Direct and Guaranteed Loans. Highlights policy proposals regarding multifamily housing preservation and the administration of rural housing programs. Includes information on the appropriations of rural housing programs between fiscal years 2017-2021.
Date: 03/2022
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Aligning Systems to Advance Family and Community Well-Being: A Partnership Playbook for Community Action and Human Services Agencies
Provides an overview of how community action and human service agencies partnered, collaborated, and aligned services to address COVID-19 on a family-level and a systems-level. Presents field examples of partnerships in rural Maryland and rural Ohio with their successes and challenges when aligning services such as Head Start, housing assistance, and more. Discusses how rural models and strategies were employed in other geographic areas to mitigate COVID-19 issues in communities.
Date: 01/2022
Sponsoring organizations: American Public Human Services Association, Community Action Partnership
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Provides an overview of how community action and human service agencies partnered, collaborated, and aligned services to address COVID-19 on a family-level and a systems-level. Presents field examples of partnerships in rural Maryland and rural Ohio with their successes and challenges when aligning services such as Head Start, housing assistance, and more. Discusses how rural models and strategies were employed in other geographic areas to mitigate COVID-19 issues in communities.
Date: 01/2022
Sponsoring organizations: American Public Human Services Association, Community Action Partnership
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Creating the New Normal: COVID-19 Leaves Its Mark on Rural America
Offers articles discussing various impacts the COVID-19 pandemic has had on affordable rural housing and those organizations working to ensure affordable rural housing. Shares stories describing how federal aid was used to address homelessness and rural residents' housing needs in Wisconsin, how the pandemic has impacted Oregon farmworkers' housing and health, and how flexible U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) programs have helped rural nonprofits in Washington serve rural communities.
Citation: Rural Voices, 25(1)
Date: 11/2021
Sponsoring organization: Housing Assistance Council
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Offers articles discussing various impacts the COVID-19 pandemic has had on affordable rural housing and those organizations working to ensure affordable rural housing. Shares stories describing how federal aid was used to address homelessness and rural residents' housing needs in Wisconsin, how the pandemic has impacted Oregon farmworkers' housing and health, and how flexible U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) programs have helped rural nonprofits in Washington serve rural communities.
Citation: Rural Voices, 25(1)
Date: 11/2021
Sponsoring organization: Housing Assistance Council
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Last Updated: 4/2/2025