Business View Magazine | June 2019

15 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE JUNE 2019 OPENING L INES $10 MILLION FANNIE MAE INNOVATION CHALLENGE SELECTS TO ADDRESS AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND HEALTH F annie Mae recently announced the selection of five innovative ideas to receive contract awards under the Sustainable Communities Innovation Challenge: Healthy Affordable Housing. The Challenge is an open competition seeking innovative ideas that aim to bring affordability and stability to underserved areas and help ensure residents have access to healthy, quality, affordable, safe places to call home. “In underserved communities, affordable housing and health outcomes of residents are inextricably linked. Research shows that poor quality housing can have a direct, negative impact on a person’s health,” said Maria Evans, Vice President, Sustainable Communities Partnership and Innovation, Fannie Mae. “The five ideas we have chosen to pursue have the potential to reimagine housing as a prescription for a healthy life. We look forward to supporting these innovative solutions and working with all of the contract awardees.” Contract awardees and their innovative ideas are: • Virtual Home Visits to Reduce Childhood Asthma: In Washington, DC, the rates of childhood asthma-related hospital visits are 12 times greater in the lowest income areas than in affluent areas. Home visits are time-consuming for already overburdened healthcare providers, and many patients are hesitant to allow health professionals to enter their homes. Children’s National Health System will lead a program that enables residents and