Executive Summary
- The Virginia Consortium for Housing Agency and Academic Partnership (VCHAAP) was established organically in 2020 through trusted relationships, a recognized need for alignment, and opportunities to improve health outcomes for Public Housing Authority (PHA) and Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) staff and residents. Led by Eastern Virginia Medical School (now the Macon and Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University), Norfolk State University, and eight PHAs and one HCV program, this partnership was formed to create opportunities, reduce health disparities, and improve the well-being of both staff and residents.
- As part of a project funded by NIH’s Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics Underserved Populations (RADx-UP) program, “Addressing Low-Income Housing Resident Mistrust in COVID-19 Guidance,” we identified a lack of regional alignment among housing authorities and HCV programs due to organizational constraints and coordination challenges.
- Today, VCHAAP has grown to eleven (11) agencies. Representatives from partner organizations meet quarterly to share updates, address barriers, identify education needs, and explore collaboration opportunities.
- VCHAAP, registered with the Commonwealth of Virginia State Corporation Commission.
- Overarching goal of partnership: Build trust and create new opportunities through community-engaged research. By implementing innovative, evidence-based interventions, we aim to reduce health disparities, improve access to resources and education, and empower communities.
- By leveraging trusted relationships and interdisciplinary expertise, we strive to create sustainable, community-driven solutions that drive meaningful, long-term impact on health and wellness.
- Chesapeake
- Newport News
- Richmond
- Virginia Beach (HCV)
- Charlottesville (HCV)
- Hampton
- Norfolk
- Roanoke
- Harrisonburg
- Portsmouth
- Suffolk
Specific Aims & Partnership Commitment
This partnership is committed to establishing a collaborative framework that fosters health equity by integrating academic research, local housing authorities, and community stakeholders.
Our goals are to:
- Improve health outcomes for PHA staff and residents within partnering organizations.
- Increase awareness and access to education and resources.
- Address social determinants of health through innovative, community-informed strategies.
Planned Outcomes/Benefit to PHAs & HCV
- Collaboration on identifying priority community-identified needs, educational programs and research (grants).
- Opportunities to provide direct services and funding to PHA organization staff and residents.
- Meetings, quarterly to discuss alignment, barriers and opportunities in our communities.
Selected Project Collaborations
| PROJECT | FUNDER | YEAR(S) |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia Advancing Cancer Control Engaged Research Through Transformative Solutions (VA-ACCERT) Center | National Institutes of Health | 2024 – 2029 |
| Addressing Mental Health Awareness in the Black Community | Sentara Cares Foundation | 2022 – 2023 |
| Addressing Low-Income Housing Resident Mistrust in COVID-19 Guidance | National Institutes of Health | 2020 – 2023 |
| COVID-19 Vaccination Rollout: Communivax Project | John Hopkins University | 2020 – 2021 |
| Assessing the Impact of Smoke Free Public Housing on Smoking Behavior, Environmental Tobacco Smoke, Third Hand Smoke, Other Tobacco Use, and Smoking-Related Disparities | US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Healthy Homes Technical Studies Program | 2017 – 2019 |
| Community Access to Child Health (CATCH): Reducing Secondhand Smoke in Norfolk Public Housing | American Academy of Pediatrics | 2014 |
| Survey of Health Conditions and Behaviors in Norfolk Public Housing | Eastern Virginia Medical School | 2012 |
| The Norfolk HEADWAY (Home, Environment and Asthma, Working in an Alliance Yields Results) | US Department of Housing and Urban Development | 2012 – 2015 |
Selected Presentations on Collaboration Work
| PRESENTATION | VENUE | YEAR |
|---|---|---|
| COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy continues in 2023: Addressing social & ethical challenges with a focus on digital health literacy | American Public Health Association Annual Meeting | 2023 |
| Improving Health Outcomes in Public Housing through Digital Engagement | Society for Public Health Education | 2023 |
| Mental Health and Public Housing | Virginia Association of Housing and Community Development Officials Annual Conference | 2022 |
| Collaborating with regional public housing authorities during the COVID-19 pandemic to improve health disparities | American Public Health Association Annual Meeting | 2022 |
| Increasing healthcare access via telehealth expansion to public housing communities | American Public Health Association Annual Meeting | 2022 |
| Improving asthma outcomes for minority children and caregivers in low-income housing | American Public Health Association Annual Meeting | 2017 |
| Establishing a volunteer Community Health Worker Advisory Board to partner in public health research and engage low-income populations | American Public Health Association Annual Meeting | 2015 |
Point of Contact
Matt Herman, MPH, CHES®
Associate Director, M. Foscue Brock Institute for Community & Global Health
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics, Community Health & Research
Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University
TEL: (757) 446-0363
EMAIL: hermanmc@odu.edu
