In June 2012, the Healthy Communities Transformation Initiative (HCTI) was launched as a three-year project designed to improve the health systems and the physical, social, and economic service structures that support healthy living and healthy behaviors in our communities. The main goal of the HCTI is to create a systematic, evidence-based Healthy Community Index (HCI) and easily implemented Healthy Community Assessment Tool (HCAT) that local jurisdictions can use to assess the health of their communities and achieve actionable policy and program objectives. It is intended to foster a greater understanding of how community-level factors influence health and help integrate policies and programs to build healthier communities, and promote long-term improvements in the health of communities and their residents.

The health of the community is determined by a range of factors that impact residents’ social, environmental and fiscal well-being, such as access to parks and green space, neighborhood connections, educational and employment opportunities, adequate and affordable housing, access to and frequency of transit and many others. Although different communities may have different priorities, the goal of HUD’s HCTI is to help establish a core set of standard indicators that all communities can use as a foundation to evaluate the health of their community and as a comprehensive lens to evaluate gaps in their planning and investment strategies.

To evaluate the tools and potential applications, the HCI and HCAT will be pilot tested in Charleston, SC; Albuquerque, NM; San Diego, CA; and Minneapolis, MN.

Healthy Housing Solutions, Inc. (Solutions) is leading the team engaged to implement the initiative.  Visit their page to learn more.

Funder:  HUD’s Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control (OHHLHC)

 Contact:  Andrea Fox, afox@icma.org