MUSKEGON, Mich. — Trinity Health Muskegon recently published their series of comprehensive community needs assessments to better understand the health and social needs of the people they serve. FOX 17 sat down with the team in Muskegon, though they have reports for all of their coverage areas in the state.
Their assessment for Muskegon County identified several key areas of focus, including homelessness, housing and access to food and childcare.
According to Michelle Gravlin, director for Community Health and Well-Being at Trinity Health Muskegon, "As a hospital, we know there are certain things the community depends on us for, but when it comes to addressing social influencers of health, we need our community health workers to be an integral part of the care team."
Key Findings:
- Housing was identified as the top social need in Muskegon County.
- Approximately 25% of housing in the area is considered substandard.
- About 23% of households spend more than 30% of their income on housing.
- In the 2022–23 school year, more than 800 kids in Muskegon County were living without stable homes.
Laura Fitzpatrick, manager of Community Health Improvement at Trinity Health Muskegon, emphasizes the importance of addressing housing inequities, stating, "The data shows that it makes a difference where you live, your socioeconomic situation and whether you're employed or unemployed."
Trinity Health is working with numerous community partners, such as Samaritas, to address these issues.
Joel Lautenbach, executive director of Affordable Living Development at Samaritas, notes, "Our motivation isn't just to build an apartment or housing unit; we want to create a home where people can thrive and be successful long term."
Samaritas currently operates nearly 800 apartment housing units across lower Michigan.
They are now in the process of building a 53-unit affordable housing building in Spring Lake. They are now accepting applications for that building, only a 20-minute drive from the Muskegon area.
Samaritas also has a facility on Spring Street in Muskegon, currently fully occupied.
Trinity Health has developed an implementation strategy to address these needs over the next three years. They will complete their next community needs assessment at that time.
The strategy focuses on partnerships with community organizations to provide support services, including housing assistance, food access and childcare resources.
The assessment highlights the critical need for partnerships between healthcare providers and community organizations to address the social determinants of health.
As Joel Lautenbach notes, "People's health outcomes are closely connected to housing, and it requires all of us to solve this type of problem."
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