By Danielle Johnson, Eastern States Region
Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH) is a nonprofit based in Washington, DC, that provides safe, affordable homes for more than 5,000 individuals and families with lower incomes. As the resident services manager, I am deeply committed to impacting residents’ lives by collaborating with staff and organizations, such as the American Heart Association, that share this commitment.
Our focus goes beyond the physical housing developments to the residents who live in them. In partnership with the AHA’s Greater Washington Region team, we strive to improve the health of our residents through initiatives such as the self-measured blood pressure program implemented in 2022.
More recently, we began offering smoking cessation resources at all three APAH locations. We also created a healthy pantry policy and, to help our community members prepare healthy meals at home, AHA interns led healthy food demonstrations using ingredients from our pantry.
Looking back at the feedback we have received I was shocked at the high demand for the continuation of these programs. For example, one resident who struggled with nicotine addiction kicked the habit with the help of our smoking cessation resources.
We are thrilled to partner with the AHA, an organization that is passionately committed to combating food insecurity and promoting health and wellness. We are in the process of adding a digital monitor that highlights other healthy living resources from the AHA.
Through our collaboration, we continue to create a healthier, more stable community for everyone who calls an APAH property home.
To learn more about this initiative, contact our Community Impact Director, Lucía Zegarra at Lucia.Zegarra@Heart.org.