Over 150 members of the Greensboro community took part in the second annual Housing and Health Symposium: “Building Healthy Communities Through Better Housing” on June 7. At the daylong event held on the campus of UNC Greensboro, participants and panelists discussed the link between housing and health, and the ways we can build healthier communities through better housing.
“Safe and affordable housing can act as an upstream prescription for medical ailments,” said Dr. Stephen Sills, symposium leader, associate professor, and director of UNCG’s Center for Housing and Community Studies (CHCS). “North Carolina is well-positioned to engage and develop upstream policy and program solutions to tackle health issues that are exacerbated by unhealthy housing. As a community, we can marshal our resources to make Greensboro the best possible place to live for all the city’s residents.”
The symposium drew a vast array of participants, including members of the Greensboro City Council, Guilford County Commissioners, NC House of Representatives, Greensboro Housing Commission, City of Greensboro, the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro, and Cone Health, along with UNCG faculty, staff, and students, among others.
Antonia Monk Richburg, vice president and senior program officer for the Cone Health Foundation, gave opening remarks to the audience. She encouraged the audience to take action to make a difference in the lives of residents who are facing housing vulnerabilities that impact their health.
For more information on CHCS, visit chcs.uncg.edu.
Photography by Martin W. Kane, University Communications
