Engaging Housing Authority Residents in Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) Issues: Lessons learned from the King County/Seattle Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities Initiative May , 2012 Elizabeth Westburg, King County Housing Authority King County/Seattle Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities Project Coordinator
Today’s Agenda 1. Overview 2. Why do resident engagement 3. How to engage multi-lingual and multi-cultural communities 4. Working with community partners 5. Case Study 6. Q & A 2
King County Housing Authority – who we are • KCHA supports more than 18,000 households in housing dispersed among 23 suburban cities and the unincorporated areas of the county. • King County – the 14th most populous county in the nation – has a population of 1.9 million and covers a geographic area of 2,130 square miles. • KCHA has been given the status of High Preforming by HUD and is a Moving To Work Housing Authority. • Through partnerships, KCHA delivers affordable housing and related support services – education, job training, and youth programming - to more than 40,000 residents who earn less than the county median income. 3
King County-Seattle HKHC Partnership • 4 distinct housing sites within 2 housing authorities (Seattle Housing Authority and King County Housing Authority) • Very diverse and low income population • Looking for ways our housing can support healthy eating and active living 4
Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities (HKHC) What is Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities (HKHC)? HKHC is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), helping dozens of communities across the country to reshape their environments to support healthy living and prevent childhood obesity. What is the local vision for King County/Seattle HKHC? Our vision is for our housing communities to support children, youth and their families in being healthy, fit and active members of their neighborhoods. The primary goal for HKHC in our community is to link residents, housing authorities, and community organizations to build social and physical environments and create policy and practice changes within the Housing Authority Communities to promote healthy eating and active living. We will accomplish this by engaging the community, listening and responding to residents voices and focusing on sustainable change . 5
Why Engage Residents Recognize that it takes more time – “Go slow to go fast” Meaningful process On-going More than just a survey Residents may have different priorities than the Housing Authority – listen to residents and then reassess priorities In order to be sustainable, the work must be resident driven 6
Community Engagement Strategy Working with residents by meeting them where they are at through: Resident Groups (culturally specific when needed) Community Events Translate materials and use interpreters Use community leaders, but be aware Recognize survey fatigue and review previous assessments and resident feedback data Do joint focus groups where possible Pilot ideas to get resident feedback 7
Work in Partnership Use on-site community partners and services providers: These services have established strong reputations in the community with residents. Residents trust them! The Housing Authority funds their work on-site and works hard to support their programming. We leverage this relationship. These partnerships build over time. Share lessons learned with others KCHA and SHA benefit from sharing what works and what doesn’t so we can build off the other agency’s work. Well positioned for new funding opportunities 8
King County-Seattle HKHC Partnership Case Study • Resident Engagement Process and working with stakeholders • The quality of food served in child care and after school settings was raised as an issue • KCHA has relationships with in-home child care providers, and on-site after school programs 9
Why focus on child care? • Resident priority • Evidence Based - Start young to prevent obesity • Children are in care on-site – a captive audience 10
New KCHA Standards for Child Care on Nutrition, Physical Activity and Screen Time Nutrition Physical Activity Beverages • 60 minutes of active time each day, including at least 30 Milk - Serve only 1% or non-fat milk for children 2 years minutes outside per day and older Screen Time (Computer, TV, DVD’s and Video Games) Milk – Do not serve chocolate or flavored milks No screen time for children under 2 Juice – limit juice to 2 times a week, and: Limit screen time to times when caregiver is preparing No juice per day for infants meals and snacks • 4 oz. portion for preschool children TV cannot be on during meals and snacks • 6 oz. portion for school aged kids Limit screen time to not more than 30 minutes per day • Fruits and Vegetables • Serve a fruit or vegetable with afternoon snack Fried Foods and High Fat Meats • Fried or pre-fried meats are served once a week or less High fat meats like sausage, bacon, hot dogs, or bologna are served once a week or less Sweets • Limit donuts/cookies/sweets to once per week Modeling Healthy Eating • Sit with children during meals and eat with them when possible 11
In-Home Child Care Pilot • KCHA worked in partnership with local providers • Internal and External stakeholder feedback on draft standards • Pilot with CSA box • Listening session at end of pilot to get feedback on standards and CSA box • Importance of working with providers to get buy in and leverage their interests/passion • On-going Technical Assistance • Next steps – work on access to affordable produce 12
Lessons Learned, Next Steps and Sustainability Solicit feedback from stakeholder and be responsive Consider additional TA based on provider feedback Reach out to partners from other sectors Continue to work on cooperative buying models to make produce more accessible and affordable (resident priority). 13
Public Health and Public Housing Strengths Have strong partnership at the local level between Housing Authorities and Public Health Departments. Partnerships in grant funding On-site health clinics and services Weaknesses Need better coordination on the national level with HHS and HUD Have goals and strategies that reach across departments No more silos! Have a broader focus and approach towards health of residents 14
Questions? 15
Contact Information: Elizabeth Westburg King County Housing Authority (206) 574-1186 elizabethw@kcha.org This project was made possible by funding from the Department of Health and Human Services and Public Health - Seattle & King County 16
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