Evaluating the Health Impacts of a Home Repair Program for Older Adults

Housing is one of the most important social determinants of health, yet there is a lack of research evaluating the effect of housing support services on the health of older adults. H.O.M.E. (Housing Opportunities and Maintenance for the Elderly), a nonprofit that provides housing support services to low-income older adults in Chicago, and the Psychosocial Support Program formalized a research partnership over the past three years through an ARCC Partnership Development grant. Through conversations with experts in aging and housing, and older adults with lived experience, our team identified a need to evaluate home repairs and their impact on 1) health outcomes, and 2) preserved. homeownership and independent living for older adults. In response, our pilot will evaluate the impact of a home repair program on health outcomes and homeownership among low-income older adults in Chicago. Gail Schechter (Executive Director, H.O.M.E.) and Rachel O’Conor (Assistant Professor, Feinberg School of Medicine) will continue to partner with a team of stakeholders; through a series of meetings and in-depth conversations we will refine our research evaluation, implement our pilot research study, and disseminate our findings.

Research Pilot: The objective of our research pilot is to evaluate the impact of a home repair program on health outcomes and home ownership preservation among low-income older adults in Chicago. A secondary aim is to explore qualities associated with the delivery of home repairs that impact mental well-being among homeowners who receive repairs. We will recruit 50 individuals receiving home repairs through the Upkeep and Repair program. Participants will complete paper surveys prior to receiving home repairs and 3 months after their baseline survey. Surveys will collect participants’ health status, anxiety and depressive symptoms, history of falls, and homeownership and independent living experience.