The St. David's Foundation in Austin, Texas, has announced twelve grants totaling $2.6 million in support of local nonprofit organizations working to improve the health and self-sufficiency of affordable housing residents.

Awarded through the foundation's Health Starts at Home program, the grants include $300,000 to LifeWorks, which helps previously homeless transition-aged youth achieve housing stability; $220,000 to Mobile Loaves and Fishes to expand its resident care team at Community First Village; $100,000 to Bluebonnet Mental Health Center to develop resident leadership in affordable housing communities in Granger and Taylor; $292,000 to St. Louise House to provide previously homeless low-income women-led families with affordable housing and wraparound services; and $175,000 to the Jeremiah Program, which empowers single low-income mothers to pursue postsecondary education and prepare their children for success with quality early childhood education.

"While the connection between safe, stable, and affordable housing and health is well-established, less well understood are the factors and approaches critical to making housing a platform for health," said St. David's Foundation senior program officer Kim McPherson. "Our goal in this initiative is to create a space to test ideas around the importance of social connection, resident voice, and community design in developing on-site services and supports for residents of affordable housing."

(Photo credit: LifeWorks Austin)