“Without a home, everything else falls apart.”
– Matthew Desmond, Evicted
As part of the Institute and NKU's commitment to forging partnerships to address population health initiatives, the Institute is looking specifically at social determinants of health. We are working with partners to engage in research projects realted to health outcomes for probate defendants and veterans.
One of the most critical social determinants of health in our region is homelessness and housing insecurity. Northern Kentucky is facing a housing crisis and it doesn’t stop at NKU’s borders. According to the Kentucky Housing Corporation 2016 study, the number of homeless people in Kenton County alone doubled from 2015. A number of factors have contributed to the current situation: public housing is concentrated only in the more urban areas of Northern Kentucky, some housing has been torn down to be replaced with fewer units, and some of that new housing is no longer affordable for previous residents.
The Institute is currently working with community partners on two research projects to better understand the social determinants of health in the Northern Kentucky Region.
The Institute is working with the probate court in Butler County in Ohio and faculty in the Department of Political Science, Criminal Justice, and Organizational Leadership to determine whether outpatient probate defendants have better health outcomes than those for whom there are no outpatient probate options.
For the second project, the Institute is working with the Cincinnati VA, the Weaver Institute for Law and Psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati, and NKU Chase College of Law to analyze how successful the veterans courts are in the tri-state region at improving healthcare outcomes and reducing recidivism.
FUEL NKU is the on-campus Food Pantry for NKU students. It was created in the Spring of 2013 by social work students as a way to address campus hunger. FUEL NKU provides FREE nonperishable food items and toiletries to NKU students! The only requirement to access their services is having your current NKU All Card.
Student Support Services (SSS) is all about student achievement and success. SSS Scholars can take advantage of free programs and services available only to program participants. You may be eligible to be an SSS Scholar if you come from a low or moderate income family and neither parent has earned a bachelor’s degree.
Health, Counseling, and Student Wellness provides services that help NKU students, faculty, and staff achieve and maintain optimal levels of physical and emotional functioning.
The Wisconsin HOPE Lab is the nation’s first laboratory for translational research aimed at improving equitable outcomes in postsecondary education. This report covers their third national survey and is the largest national assessment of basic needs security among 4-year students.
Drawing on their experiences conducting research on basic needs security at colleges around the nation, the Wisconsin HOPE Lab produced this guide to support efforts of other colleges and universities.
