Community Partner: Jimmy Heath House (JHH) and Over-the-Rhine Community Housing (OTRCH)
Jimmy Heath House (JHH) and Over-the-Rhine Community Housing (OTRCH) aim to provide stable housing to individuals who have experienced chronic homelessness in the Over-the-Rhine (OTR) neighborhood of Cincinnati. JHH specifically utilizes a Housing First approach, which focuses on providing basic needs including shelter, before moving on to other issues, such as employment and substance use. Ultimately, removing the barrier to stable housing magnifies and improves health holistically. As of 2022, JHH provides 25 stable supportive housing units under OTRCH’s umbrella.
OTRCH has been here for over forty years, providing the property development, property management, resident services, and tenant advocacy that enable the thriving, vibrant, diverse community that we are all a part of today. From providing affordable housing to saving historical buildings to securing employment opportunities for our residents, we’re working to build and sustain a neighborhood that values low-income residents and benefits all in the community.
About Pooja
I was born in Chicago and grew in up southeastern Kentucky. Since college, I have been interested in community development. I loved the idea of working collaboratively with community partners on shared goals and building trust through understanding stakeholder’s backgrounds. It is this same idea I believe we should approach medicine. I chose this elective to learn more about the social determinants that impact health and ways to mitigate them. In the future, I want to be Family Medicine Physician who focuses on community health, whether that is partnering with local nonprofits or working to decrease healthcare barriers in an administrative position.