How Can Metrics Inform and Advance Healthy Communities?

Washington, DC

In recent years, the community development and health sectors have begun to align efforts to invest in affordable housing, health clinics, grocery stores, child care centers, and other initiatives to improve the health and well-being of low-income communities. However, assessing the impact of these investments has been difficult because of the limited availability of data at the neighborhood level.

This strategy session, How Can Metrics Inform and Advance Healthy Communities?, addressed how community metrics can be used to improve health outcomes. The convening, sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, brought together funders and practitioners in fields such as health, community development, and housing to explore new tools to measure the health impact of community investments, hear about strategies for fostering partnerships between philanthropy and the community development sector, and network to support cross-sector collaboration.

How Can Metrics Inform and Advance Healthy Communities? took place from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Friday, December 4, 2015, at the Barbara Jordan Conference Center at The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington, DC.

Support provided by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

• Watch opening remarks from Annie Donovan, Director of the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund
• Review the Storify recap
• Continue the conversation on Twitter at #GIHmetrics

Metrics Tools

• AARP: Livability Index
• Wilder Research: Metrics for Healthy Communities
• Low Income Investment Fund: Social Impact Calculator
• NeighborWorks America: Success Measures
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development:
  • Healthy Communities Assessment Tool (San Diego, CA)
  • Healthy Communities Assessment Tool (Providence, RI)
• Build Healthy Places Network: Measure Up

Additional Materials

• Build Healthy Places Network Video

Related Content

• Hotels near Barbara Jordan Conference Center – PDF document, 112 KB
• Agenda: How Can Metrics Inform and Advance Healthy Communities? – PDF document, 128 KB
• Using Data to Address Health Disparities and Drive Investment in Healthy Neighborhoods – PDF document, 692 KB