H3C addresses the need for affordable housing and health care in New Orleans.
The innovative development features 192 affordable one-, two-, and three-bedroom homes—100 units in a building for families and 92 units in a building for seniors. H3C is also home to a new Federally Qualified Health Center managed by DePaul Community Health Centers, one of Louisiana's largest health networks. The clinic provides adult and pediatric medical and behavioral health care services, an on-site pharmacy, and Medicaid enrollment assistance.
Located in a medically underserved area, the clinic anticipates serving 5,500 patients annually initially, growing to 10,000 over the next decade.
Developed by Gulf Coast Housing Partnership (GCHP) and Alembic Community Development, the community gets its name for its health focus and the neighborhood's longstanding principles of culture, commerce, and community.
"H3C represents the culmination of years of collaboration among partners who believe that access to quality affordable housing and health care is essential," says Kathy Laborde, president and CEO of GCHP. "Now, we turn our focus to data collection and evaluation, which we expect will demonstrate to managed-care organizations that routinely investing in affordable housing is valuable, not only for enhancing residents’ lives but also for lowering health care costs.”
The development is the first multifamily community in Louisiana to achieve Fitwel certification, a rating system created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to guide building design and operations and improve the health of building occupants.
The financing for the $83 million development is also unique, with about $26 million in concessionary investments coming from Aetna, a CVS Health company, as part of GCHP’s Health + Housing initiative, which seeks to enhance the well-being of low-income populations in economically challenged communities
