AmeriHealth Caritas North Carolina, North Carolina Community Action Association Team Up to Make Triangle and Triad Homes Safer

Research shows our living situation greatly influences our health. But it is not enough to simply have any place to live. According to the U.S. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, substandard housing can increase the risk of illness and affect mental health.

AmeriHealth Caritas North Carolina is teaming up with the North Carolina Community Action Association (NCCAA) to make safe and stable housing a reality for more people in the Triangle and Triad regions. Through their joint Hearts and Home initiative, the organizations will provide eligible families with grants of up to $3,500, which can be used for fixing plumbing leaks, repairing ventilation systems, replacing old and dangerous carpeting, building ramps to accommodate disabled household members, and making other needed safety upgrades.  

“Having a home that is structurally and mechanically sound is essential for families to grow and thrive,” said AmeriHealth Caritas North Carolina Market President Heidi Chan. “By investing in housing safety and stability, we are fostering healthier, stronger communities, which is at the heart of our mission.”

The program will also fund emergency housing stabilization support, such as rent or utility payments.

NCCAA’s member organizations will recruit families through their program waitlists and by assessing the needs of their existing clients. Their in-house crews and licensed contractors with experience serving low-income populations will complete the repair work within 90 days of NCCAA’s approval.

For clients who rent their home, landlords will have to agree not to subsequently raise rent.

AmeriHealth Caritas North Carolina is funding the initiative through a $1.7 million donation.

“The Hearts and Home initiative will address hidden environmental factors in the homes of lower income North Carolinians that often contribute to illnesses and injuries,” said NCCAA Executive Director Sharon Goodson. “We stand ready to provide these safety and stabilization measures while also providing holistic support to families through our numerous programs and those of our partners.”

Hearts and Home is open to North Carolina residents who live in the Triad (Medicaid Region 2) and Triangle (Region 4) areas. Participants also need to have a total household income at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Line (based on family size) and live in a tenant-occupied or owner-occupied home that is not for sale or condemned.

AmeriHealth Caritas North Carolina leadership and community outreach team associates joined North Carolina Community Action Association (NCCAA) staff and board members at a Passage Home neighborhood site in southeast Raleigh, where they presented a $1.7 million donation to fund the organizations’ Hearts and Home initiative. Passage Home is one of the partner agencies supported through Hearts and Home. Pictured with the check, from left to right, are NCCAA Board First Vice President Patricia Beier, NCCAA Executive Director Sharon Goodson, and AmeriHealth Caritas North Carolina Market President Heidi Chan.