New Guides Help Practitioners Use Data to Advance Health and Opportunity

Urban Institute recently released two new guidance documents to to build the capacity of communities to use data to address health and improve fair housing and access to opportunity. Both guides draw on the experiences of NNIP and its Partner organizations. 

• How to Engage Your Community with Health Data: Hosting a 500 Cities Event. In December 2016, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the CDC Foundation released the 500 Cities dataset - estimates of adult chronic disease, unhealthy behaviors, and preventive care for census tracts in 500 of the largest American cities. By organizing local events introducing the 500 Cities data, neighborhood and city stakeholders can engage diverse audiences and generate ideas for using the data to advance health. The guide discusses potential event goals, formats, and participants, and suggests other complementary data and community action resources. Support for the guide was provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. 

​       Download the guide here. 

• Using Data to Assess Fair Housing and Improve Access to Opportunity: A Guidebook for Community Organizations. Community organizations working to increase access to opportunity and support fair housing can use secondary data to improve their own program planning, enhance their ability to advocate for policy change, and gain a better understanding of neighborhood conditions. The guide describes types of data and how to think strategically about using data. The guide contains details on data sources related to demographics and segregation, housing, land use, disability, education, employment, environment, health, and public safety. Support for the guide was provided by the Ford Foundation. 

​      Download the guide here.