In the third episode in our fifth series, Coming to Terms with Housing and Homelessness in Rural Places, we begin our episode with Jess Huff, Reporter for The Texas Tribune. Jess joined the Tribune in 2023 and is based in Lufkin, Texas. She grew up in Utah and has also lived in Arizona and the Netherlands. Her latest adventure brought her to East Texas where she worked for The Lufkin Daily News, leading the publication to numerous awards for investigative reporting in the region.

Michelle and Jess discuss her piece which originally appeared in the Texas Tribune, and reprinted in the Daily Yonder, “From couch surfing to sleeping in a car: What one teen’s story tells us about homelessness in rural Texas.” Jess sheds an important light on the challenges in identifying, counting, and providing services for rural homeless teens, as well as highlights the work that organizations are doing to help rural homeless teens.

In the second half of this episode, Michelle talks with Chapin Hall Researchers, Erin Devorah Carreon who holds a master’s degree in social work from the University of Chicago, where she is currently completing her PhD, as well as Mallory VanMeeter a PhD Candidate in Civil Society and Community Research. Carreon uses mixed methods to assess initiatives designed to improve access to quality housing, childcare, and career pathways, especially for pregnant and parenting young people. In their research, VanMeeter looks at how natural supports, like extended family and informal mentors, impact the well-being and housing stability of youth facing homelessness in the U.S. Her work also explores how public resources and policy change might help bolster these informal social safety nets.

Together, they share with Michelle their research and key findings in rural youth homelessness. This conversation includes the invisibility of homelessness, role of community support services, long-term impacts of homelessness, structural barriers, and what rural communities need to adequately address and prevent youth homelessness.

Below are articles and resources from the Reporters and Researchers in today’s episode:

Creating Home in Community: Reframing and Resourcing Informal Shared Housing with Chosen Family and Kin as Part of the Solution to Youth Homelessness.
https://www.chapinhall.org/wp-content/uploads/Creating-home-in-community-2023.pdf

From Couch Surfing to Sleeping in a Car: What One Teen’s Story Tells Us About Homelessness in Rural Texas.
https://dailyyonder.com/from-couch-surfing-to-sleeping-in-a-car-what-one-teens-story-says-about-homelessness-in-rural-texas/2024/02/12/#:~:text=Georgia%20DeVries%2C%20an%20East%20Texas,month%20last%20year%20on%20TikTok.

Rural Communities Need Funding and Support to Address Rural Youth Homelessness
https://www.chapinhall.org/research/addressing-rural-youth-homelessness/

In the extra episode in our fifth series "Coming to Terms with Housing and Homelessness,” Michelle talks with Marion Mollegen McFadden, The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development. In this role McFadden oversees the administration of federal financial assistance to assist communities in ending homelessness, creating, and preserving affordable housing, strengthening local economies, and disaster recovery and mitigation.

During this conversation, Michelle and the Deputy Assistant Secretary discuss the work of HUD in the rural context, including the programming and funds helping to ensure that housing and community development needs are met.

McFadden shares key details about programs helping rural communities and people access necessary dollars for affordable housing including the Preservation and Reinvestment Initiative for Community Enhancement (PRICE) program, Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), 108 Loan Guarantee within the CDBG, and the Rural Gateway Program. Also covered are efforts focused HUD’s Rural Prosperity Council and its impact for rural communities, how HUD is coordinating across the federal family to meet the needs of rural communities, as well as the priority of the Biden Harris Administration to address homelessness with the urgency it requires.

To learn more about the PRICE program visit:
https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/comm_planning/price

In the second episode in our fifth series "Coming to Terms with Housing and Homelessness,” Michelle talks with Elizabeth Carpenter-Song, Ph.D. Elizabeth is a medical and psychological anthropologist at Dartmouth College, and author of the book Families on the Edge: Experiences of Homelessness and Care in Rural New England. Her research strives to center the lived experiences of rural community members marginalized by poverty, housing insecurity, mental illness, and substance use.

During this conversation, Elizabeth and Michelle discuss how rural homelessness and housing security has historically been hidden from a research perspective, the fear and stigma associated with rural homelessness, as well as barriers to accessing resources, healthcare, and programs.

Elizabeth shares the motivation of writing her book focused on rural homelessness in rural New England, insights into life for families and parenting in rural homeless shelters, and observations for how rural families endured poverty and rural homelessness. Michelle and Elizabeth end the discussion focusing on how we can humanize how we think about housing insecurity and homelessness, how listeners can educate themselves, and impact change at a local level to create opportunities for rural families to thrive.

In the first episode in our fifth series, Coming to Terms with Housing and Homelessness in Rural Places, we begin our episode with the Housing Assistance Council’s (HAC) Director of Public Policy, Jonathan Harwitz. Prior to joining HAC, Jonathan was Director of Housing Community Development and Insurance Policy for the House Financial Services Committee. He also served as Managing Director of Federal Policy and Government Affairs at the Low-Income Investment Fund, a large national Community Development Financial Institution. Jonathan shared that in his over 20 years of public policy, he has always relied on HAC as a voice for rural housing.

During this discussion Jonathan shares HAC’s mission of helping rural communities address their needs for affordable housing, as well as an overview of the state of rural housing in America. Michelle and Jonathan also discuss HAC’s 2024 Rural Housing Priorities included the need for--and barriers to-- capacity building programs and well as funding and financing for rural housing.

In the second half of this episode, Michelle talks with Amanda Reddy, Executive Director of the National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH). Over the last 15 years, Amanda has worked with communities to effectively prevent housing-related illness and injury by implementing evidence-based and equitable policies that improve housing quality. Prior to joining NCHH, Amanda was a research scientist with the New York State Department of Health, where she supported a range of programs focused on improving indoor and outdoor air quality in homes, schools, workplaces, and outdoor settings.

This Rural Impact conversation is very timely because April is National Healthy Homes Month, and during the conversation Michelle and Amanda discuss NCHH’s role in creating healthier home environments, and working to prevent environmental health hazards through awareness, education and policy. The two also talk about housing issues impacting the health and wellbeing of rural residents, and how unhealthy housing conditions contribute to a wide range of preventable illnesses and injury, and finally, the funding and legislation needed to make rural homes safe.

To learn more the Housing Assistance Council’s Policy and Advocacy Activities please visit: https://ruralhome.org/our-work/policy/

To learn more about the National Center for Healthy Housing’s Federal Funding for Rural Healthy Housing Fact Sheet please visit: https://nchh.org/resource/fact-sheet_federal-funding-for-rural-healthy-housing/

Policy Watch: As discussed in this episode, follow this proposed legislation:
Whole-Home Repair Act of 2024 - S. 3871

In this Impact Extra Episode, Michelle introduces issues from our upcoming series focused on rural housing as well rural transportation issues with special guest Farah Ahmad, Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Deputy Under Secretary Ahmad works to advance policies and programs that create economic inclusion and opportunity in rural communities.

During this conversation, Deputy Under Secretary Ahmad shares how the Rural Partners Network (RPN) takes a unique approach to help rural communities build prosperity through job creation, infrastructure development, and community improvement. RPN is an alliance of 25 federal agencies working together with 36 communities across 10 states, and Puerto Rico, to help each community find their vision, and identify community, economic development, infrastructure, and housing needs, as well as the resources necessary to reach their goals.

Deputy Under Secretary Ahmad also shares how USDA works to come up with innovative solutions to high quality affordable rural housing, including the Native Community Native Community Development Financial (Native CDFI) Relending Pilot. The USDA is now working across many different states through nine different Native CDFIs, to improve homeownership opportunities for those living on Tribal Lands. Additionally, Deputy Under Secretary Ahmad highlights how a group called ROUTES (Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success), is dedicated to meeting the unique transportation needs and challenges in rural communities.

To learn more about the RPN visit https://www.rural.gov/

Guests:

• Alan Morgan, CEO, National Rural Health Association
• Susan Burton, Director National Grassroots Advocacy, National Association of Community Health Centers
• Brock Slabach, Chief Operations Officer, National Rural Health Association
• Carole Johnson, Administrator, HRSA

In part two of our first ever "Rural Impact on Location” episode, host Michelle Rathman, closes out the conversations she had with top leaders in rural health, PLUS one very special conversation with HRSA Administrator, Carole Johnson, just after she delivered her keynote remarks at the National Rural Health Association 2024 Rural Health Policy Institute held in Washington D.C.

In this final part of our conversations from the road, listeners will hear about how rural health organizations are focusing on policy that will them strengthen their emergency preparedness, either to respond to a major climate event such as a hurricane, as well as priorities to ensure these organizations are prepared to respond to the next public health crisis, while still working to address the many challenges left behind from COVID. For this topic, Michelle sat down with Alan Morgan, CEO, National Rural Health Association. Following, hear from Susan Burton, Director National Grassroots Advocacy for the National Association of Community Health Centers. Next, Michelle speaks with Brock Slabach, Chief Operations Officer, National Rural Health Association, who discusses the important role of local governing boards in advocating for policy. Finally, the episode concludes with a conversation featuring Carole Johnson, Administrator, of the Health Resources and Service Administration where she focuses on Biden/Harris Administration policy priorities to address many rural health challenges, including the interagency work that’s happening however absent from mainstream headlines.

In Part One of our very first "Rural Impact on Location” episode, host Michelle Rathman, traveled to Washington D.C. on a mission to get closer to connecting dots on matters of current health policy and legislative priorities focused on rural health.

During her time at the National Rural Health Association Policy Institute and the National Association of Community Health Centers Policies & Issues Conference, Michelle spoke with several thought leaders and experts from many states. Each conversation focused on a different aspect of rural health, covering issues from Medicaid expansion to critical funding for Community Health Centers, from rural America’s maternal healthcare crisis to advancements in caring for rural veterans; each conversation is wide-ranging and is punctuated with information aimed at helping listeners build up their 2024 advocacy toolkit.

Joining Michelle at the Rural Impact on the road table, was Maggie Sauer, Director of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Office of Rural Health about State Offices of Rural Health as well as the impact of Medicaid expansion.

Michelle meets Executive Director of the Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network, Pat Schou, RN, BSN, MS, FACHE, and they discuss the need for resources for maternal health from prenatal care to postpartum care.

Chief Executive Officer of the Colorado Rural Health Center, and President-Elect of the National Rural Health Association Board of Trustees, Michelle Mills discussed aging in place and care options for rural America.

Nebraska Rural Health Association’s Executive Director Jed Hansen, PhD, APRN, FNP-C explore logistical challenges in rural Veterans’ health and care, as well as federal investments for improving access and pilot programs to help overcome other long-standing challenges in VA care.

Finally, Michelle discusses workforce policy and priorities with Gerrard Jolly, MA, CDP, the Director of Career Advancement & JEDI Strategies at the National Association of Community Health Centers, where one of every 11 patients in the U.S. receive their primary care.

The first part of this two-part on location episode ends with Michelle describing the next round of conversations she had in D.C., including an exclusive one-on-one conversation with HRSA Administrator, Carole Johnson.

Tune in for part two next!

In this What’s Your Impact Episode in our series "Arriving at Thriving,” Michelle talks with Kelly Arduino, MA, MBA. Kelly is the Healthcare Industry Leader and Partner at Wipfli LLP, a top 20 accounting and consulting firm. She has over 25 years of diverse healthcare experience which gives her a unique perspective on today’s challenges. Kelly was psychotherapist and an academic researcher in health outcomes and spent a number of years as a healthcare strategy consultant before working as a healthcare investment banker specializing in financing for rural healthcare providers. Today her position allows for a national perspective on how rural healthcare clients are facing their challenges for remaining viable and in their communities.

During this conversation, Michelle and Kelly discuss solutions to some of the biggest challenges rural healthcare organizations face today including workforce shortages, AI and technology, finances, and cyber security. Kelly also shares success stories for finding the right leaders and the impact recruiting local leaders can have on rural health organizations.

Download the 2024 State of Rural Healthcare Report here: https://www.wipfli.com/industries/healthcare/hc-the-state-of-rural-healthcare-2024