NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / October 29, 2026 / Originally published by Affordable Housing Finance
By Keli Savage
CVS Health
Across the country, families and individuals are struggling to navigate rising housing costs alongside challenges such as food insecurity, chronic illness, limited access to preventive care, and social isolation.
The affordable housing sector has made substantial progress in recognizing these realities. However, housing alone cannot address every challenge residents face. The opportunity now is to build on that foundation by connecting residents with health resources, food access, supportive services, workforce development, and opportunities for community connection.
A stable home is one of the strongest foundations for health and well-being. Research continues to demonstrate that affordable housing can serve as a platform for improved health, stability, and opportunity when paired with resident services, food access, preventive care, workforce development, and opportunities that foster community connection. Studies have linked coordinated resident services to stronger housing stability, improved access to healthcare, and reduced food insecurity, while healthcare organizations are increasingly recognizing the value of housing-focused investments and partnerships.
The question facing many housing and healthcare organizations today is no longer whether housing influences health but how housing and healthcare organizations can work together to maximize that impact.
Connecting Housing, Health, and Opportunity
In Chicago's North Lawndale neighborhood, Grace Manor offers one example of what that collaboration can look like.
The 65-unit affordable housing community that opened in November 2025 with a nearly $18 million low-income housing tax credit investment from CVS Health, provides quality housing for families. But housing was never intended to be the sole outcome. Earlier this year, residents participated in a community resource fair that provided health screenings through CVS Health's Project Health and vaccinations from CVS Pharmacy members on-site, as well as primary-care resources from Oak Street Health; free personal care services, including haircuts, provided by Aetna Better Health of Illinois; workforce development resources; educational support; and community organizations in a single location.
These activities are not separate from affordable housing. They reflect a broader understanding that the most impactful housing investments do not end when construction does. They help residents access the resources, services, and support systems that support long-term stability and well-being.
We know that preventive care is most effective when it is accessible. Bringing health screenings and care navigation directly into communities where people live can help remove obstacles such as transportation challenges, scheduling difficulties, or lack of awareness of available services.
Food access is equally important. At the event, Grace Manor residents also received fresh produce through a collaboration with Windy City Harvest, a Chicago-based urban agriculture and workforce development program that's part of the larger Chicago Botanic Garden, which was awarded a grant by the CVS Health Foundation. CVS Health and Aetna colleagues volunteered at Windy City Harvest's Rodeo Farm to help harvest produce that was included in VeggieRx boxes distributed to Grace Manor residents during the event.
Developments like Grace Manor illustrate a broader shift in thinking about affordable housing investments. Housing provides the foundation, but lasting impact comes from ensuring residents can access health, food, education, and workforce resources that help build stability over time.
Building Healthier Communities Through Belonging
If affordable housing provides the foundation for stability, social connection helps transform that foundation into a thriving community.
In Tucson, Arizona, West Point Apartments II demonstrates what it can look like when affordable housing is paired with services that support residents beyond the front door. Developed by La Frontera Partners, with a $22 million investment from CVS Health and an additional $100,000 grant for resident services, the community combines affordable housing for older adults and individuals with developmental disabilities with resources focused on behavioral health, food access, financial stability, and resident engagement.
At the property's grand opening, residents participated in social activities; shared meals; received welcome wagons assembled by CVS Health, Aetna, and Mercy Care colleague volunteers; and were introduced to companion robotic pets intended to provide comfort and companionship. While simple in concept, these efforts reflect a growing recognition that affordable housing can do more than provide stability. It can also foster connection and community, which are increasingly important as social isolation continues to affect millions of Americans, particularly older adults.
The experience at West Point Apartments II underscores an important reality: Healthy communities are built through more than just bricks and mortar.
Turning Investment into a Community Platform
In Columbus, Ohio, Rosewind Estates demonstrates how an affordable housing investment can become the foundation for a broader, sustained community strategy. In 2020, CVS Health invested more than $13 million to help preserve and renovate the 230-home community in collaboration with the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA). That initial investment led to a continuing collaboration that extends beyond the property renovation.
In 2025, CVS Health and CMHA opened a Workforce Innovation and Talent Center within Rosewind's community center. The facility offers free, hands-on training for careers such as pharmacy technician, retail, customer service, and call-center positions. A co-located Aetna Community Resource Center connects residents and the surrounding community with health and supportive services.
Rosewind has also become a hub for recurring community programming, including food and holiday-gift distributions and a recent vision clinic offering comprehensive eye exams and prescription glasses at no cost. The lesson is not that every affordable housing development needs the same programs but that sustained collaboration and shared community space can help local partners respond to residents' needs long after construction is complete.
Looking Beyond the Front Door
Addressing the nation's affordable housing shortage must remain a priority. But as developers, investors, policymakers, and healthcare organizations look to the future, the conversation should go beyond the front door.
When affordable homes are paired with preventive health resources, food access, supportive services, workforce development opportunities, and programs that strengthen community connection, their impact can extend far beyond shelter.
Since 1997, CVS Health has invested more than $2.15 billion in affordable housing nationwide. Over the last five years alone, CVS Health has invested more than $1.1 billion invested across 268 developments, helping create, preserve, or renovate more than 25,000 affordable homes, including housing for families, seniors, and residents with supportive housing needs. Experiences at communities like Grace Manor, West Point Apartments II, and Rosewind, suggest the greatest opportunity lies in pairing housing with the services, resources, and connections that help residents and their surrounding communities thrive.
Affordable housing is the foundation. The next challenge, and opportunity, is building the support systems that turn stability into lasting well-being.
Keli Savage is vice president, head of real estate and impact investments, at CVS Health.
Keli Savage (image courtesy of Affordable Housing Finance)
Find more stories and multimedia from CVS Health at 3blmedia.com.
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SOURCE: CVS Health
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/healthcare-and-pharmaceutical/beyond-housing-building-a-broader-strategy-for-health-and-well-being-1243534
