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National health policy expert to headline May 1 Housing Matters Symposium

  • Writer: PCHTF
    PCHTF
  • 3 hours ago
  • 2 min read
Yellow house shape on purple background says Housing Matters Symposium. Text reads Housing is health care, May 1, 2025, Des Moines Heritage Center.

Dr. Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba, Executive Director of Children’s HealthWatch, will headline the Housing Matters Symposium on Thursday, May 1, 2025, at the Des Moines Heritage Center, 120 E. 5th Street. Presented by the Polk County Housing Trust Fund, the annual half-day event explores how housing opportunity improves lives—and this year focuses on housing as a critical foundation for health and well-being.


Woman in a suit smiles against an orange circle. Text: "Keynote: Dr. Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba, National leader on housing's impact on health."

 Dr. Ettinger de Cuba is a nationally recognized health policy expert whose research has helped define the evidence linking housing stability to improved health outcomes. Her keynote will highlight how safe, affordable housing acts as a form of preventive health care—and what communities can do to close the gap between housing and better health for all.


After our keynote, a panel of local experts share an inspiring call to action for making the connection between health and housing in Greater Des Moines.


Panel discussion on housing and health with portraits of four smiling professionals. Background text reads: Panel: Local perspectives.

 The event comes as Iowa faces rising housing costs and a growing need for coordinated solutions to prevent homelessness and reduce health system strain. The recent Community Health Needs Assessment conducted by major regional health partners highlighted the increasing financial precarity, housing insecurity, and food insecurity facing the community.

 

The symposium will also preview major efforts underway across the state and region, including supportive housing initiatives that serve people with complex health needs or who are experiencing homelessness, the major new regional homelessness strategic plan that will be unveiled soon, and the launch of a Central Iowa Community Land Trust.


Four women are shown in a split image. One labeled "Special Guest Amy Stetzel" on purple, others on cream background: Margo Miller, Angie Arthur, Carrie Woerdeman.

Event Program Highlights

  • Keynote: “Making the Connection Between Housing and Health Outcomes”Dr. Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba, Children’s HealthWatch (Boston, MA)

  • Panel: Local Perspectives on the Housing and Health ConnectionModerated by Nathan Simpson, Primary Health Care; with panelistsCorey Dion Lewis, Broadlawns Medical Center;Juliann Van Liew, Polk County Health Department; andDr. Nancy Williams, Iowa Healthcare

  • Update on the Central Iowa Community Land TrustCarrie Woerdeman, HOME, Inc.

  • Creating Opportunities through Supportive HousingAmy Stetzel, Corporation for Supportive Housing

  • Spotlight on Monarch Apartments, the newest supportive housing community serving Central IowaMargo Miller, Anawim Housing

  • Preview of Greater Des Moines’ Homelessness Strategic PlanAngie Arthur, Homeward

 

The Housing Matters Symposium is free and open to the public, but advance registration is strongly encouraged. Complete information and registration can be found at https://hms25.eventbrite.com.

 

The Polk County Housing Trust Fund (PCHTF) is the comprehensive planning, funding, and advocacy organization for affordable housing in Polk County, Iowa. Learn more about our work at www.pchtf.org.  

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