Stress is a leading cause for health concern for many Americans, including large numbers of Latinos. One of the greatest stressors plaguing Latino families has to do with finances. In an effort to alleviate financial issues, more and more people – including Latinos – are turning to payday loans, the Center for American Progress reports. According to the Pew Charitable Trust, nearly 12 million people each year turn to payday loans. These quick fix infusions of money regularly lead to the person receiving the loan going into hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars of additional debt furthering stress. According to the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), Latinos are more likely than the general population to use a payday loan. In order to reduce health disparities, it is ...
Data-driven policy is winning in Santa Monica, Calif. (13.1 %Latino). Santa Monica is committed to improving resident's health by looking at housing, transportation, parks, and youths, thus was one of seven communities to receive the 2016 RWJF Culture of Health Prize. In 2012, Santa Monica developed a Wellbeing Index to measure what was hampering or helping the well-being of residents. “The options we give people really affect their ability to access things that can improve the quality of their lives," Francie Stefan, Santa Monica mobility manager, said to the RWJF. Housing. Santa Monica started improving resident's ability to access to affordable housing decades ago. Santa Monica requires developers to set aside a percentage of newly constructed units for affordable ...
Low-income families that are fortunate enough to find affordable housing, thus alleviating a potential financial and mental and physical stresses that can lead to long-term health problems. However, finding and maintaining a home is only part of the overall bigger picture. Energy costs also take up large amounts of low-income families’ expenses. A new plan from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) could save low-income Latino families as much as $300 annually on utility bills. According to recent information from the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC), families living in affordable housing tend to spend 30% of their overall income on housing costs. Latino families confront a variety of challenges when seeking out and gaining affordable housing, including discrimination, ...
Having access to clean drinkable water and healthy fresh foods is vital in ensuring children grow up to be a healthy weight. New funds from the state's congressional delegation recently announced that $2.1 million in funds will go to help position new AmeriCorps members into volunteer services for the state. One organization called the Washington County Youth Service Bureau Boys and Girls Club, will help to ensure children of veteran and military families grow up to be a healthy weight. They will receive $325,000 for 26 volunteers, that will help to implement initiatives to help prevent childhood obesity in the state. More funds will also be used to help position AmeriCorps members in addressing problems in affordable housing, water quality, and veteran affairs. To ...
Urban planning plays a significant role in addressing the health equity and health disparities of Americans, especially Latinos. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), environmental, social, and economic conditions in cities can have both positive and negative impacts on human health. Urban planning plays an important role on these conditions. Air and water quality, the location of affordable housing, and access to public transportation are all factors that shape health. Perhaps no place in the world is more known for its “urban form”—its physical layout and design—than metropolitan New York City (29% Latino population). From the towering skyline of Manhattan, the neon lights of Times Square, the rolling hills and paths of Central Park, New York has built an ...
According to a local news article, United Way of Central Ohio hoping to help Latino kids have healthier lives, noting from the 2016 Champion of Children report that reveals many of the challenges that Latino boys face. The report which includes local and national information finds that the growing population of Latino youth is living in high-poverty neighborhoods, limiting them to fresh food, quality schools, affordable housing and health care. Other barriers include language barriers, societal assumptions and cultural expectations of boys to work and contribute to the family. The report recommends that schools hire more Latino teachers, encourage Latino children to go into education careers and for teachers to become more culturally sensitive. Also recommended was for community ...
Working together, local government and non-profits in Santa Barbara, Calif. (43.74% Latino) are redesigning the food environment to focus on health and sustainability. According to a local article, over half of county residents are overweight or obese, and face difficulties in access to healthy foods, affordable housing, health care and more. A Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) report on health behavior shows that over 70% of adults or 214,354 adults over the age of eighteen within the county have inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption- consuming less than five servings of fruit and vegetables each day. "Population growth in the county is expected to increase by 100,000 people", Sigrid Wright of the Community Environmental Council told the Pacific Coast Business Times, ...
Access to healthier foods is vital for Latino families who may be more at risk for health-related diseases. Local Foods, Local Places (LFLP), a federal initiative has planned to help increase access to healthier foods and help revitalize 27 communities through local food enterprises. The partner community works with experts to help community members access local opportunities for revitalizing downtowns and neighborhoods. The communities selected for assistance in 2016 were chosen from more than 300 applicants. Some assistance and support will be directed towards changes in: Williamson, W. Va. for healthier food and healthcare systems, with access to healthier foods and access to health care
Rocky Moun, N.C. for new farmer's markets and urban community gardens, and affordable ...
On February 26, 2015, Vitus Group (Vitus), a national affordable housing developer based in Seattle, announced their collaboration with Partnership for a Healthier America and later committed to Active Design Verified, a joint initiative of the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) and the Center for Active Design (CfAD), to build healthier communities by incorporating active design elements into 80 percent of its future developments. Latino neighborhoods often lack these active design elements and face increased rates of obesity and related health disparities. In order to improve equity in active living support and to reduce health disparities in Latino neighborhoods it is important for affordable housing developers to integrate active design features to create communities ...
