Housing Is Public Health: What University of Maryland Students Taught Us About Baltimore's Future
- LaQuida Chancey
- Jul 28
- 3 min read
When people think about public health, they often think about hospitals, doctors, medications, and medical research.
At Smalltimore Homes, we certainly value those systems—but we also ask a different question:
What if one of the most powerful public health interventions isn't inside a hospital at all?
What if it's housing?
That question guided a recent conversation with University of Maryland students as fellow Bunting Neighborhood Leadership Program Fellow Perri Carroll and I explored the connections between Baltimore's neighborhoods, public policy, and health outcomes.
Looking Beyond Healthcare
Health begins long before someone visits a doctor.
It begins with where they sleep.
Whether they have stable housing.
Whether they can safely walk outside.
Whether healthy food is nearby.
Whether transportation is reliable.
Whether neighborhoods have parks, trees, clean air, grocery stores, and community spaces.
These are known as the social determinants of health—the everyday conditions that influence our ability to live healthy lives.
Housing connects to nearly every one of them.
Building Baltimore—One LEGO at a Time
Instead of beginning with a traditional presentation, students built Baltimore neighborhoods using LEGO bricks while playing Dr. Lawrence Brown's educational game, Urban Cipher.
As neighborhoods changed, so did conversations.
Students began asking questions like:
Why do some neighborhoods receive more investment than others?
How does redlining continue affecting families today?
Why do health outcomes vary dramatically across neighborhoods only a few miles apart?
What role should hospitals and anchor institutions play in repairing historic inequities?
The exercise transformed history from something students read about into something they could see, discuss, and rethink together.
Institutions Shape Communities
One of the most meaningful conversations centered around institutions.
Hospitals are essential to community health, but they also influence housing, transportation, employment, purchasing decisions, neighborhood investment, and economic opportunity.
Universities, nonprofit organizations, local government, businesses, and financial institutions also shape neighborhoods every day.
The question isn't whether institutions have influence.
They do.
The question is how that influence is used.
How can institutions become stronger partners in creating neighborhoods where residents don't simply survive—but thrive?
Housing Is Preventative Care
Imagine preventing illness before someone ever enters an emergency room.
Stable housing reduces stress.
Accessible homes help older adults age safely.
Healthy indoor environments reduce asthma triggers.
Walkable neighborhoods encourage physical activity.
Community spaces reduce isolation.
Safe housing supports children's educational success.
These aren't separate issues.
They're connected.
When we invest in housing, we're also investing in healthier communities.
Why Smalltimore Homes Starts With Listening
Building healthier neighborhoods requires more than construction.
It requires community leadership.
Every neighborhood already contains knowledge, lived experience, and solutions that deserve to shape future investments.
That's why Smalltimore Homes approaches development through resident engagement, neighborhood partnerships, community workshops, public health collaborations, and ongoing conversations with the people who know their communities best.
Housing should never be built for communities.
It should be built with them.
Black August and Community Leadership
As we begin Black August, we're reminded that meaningful change has always been driven by communities organizing, educating, and caring for one another.
Housing justice is part of that legacy.
Public health is part of that legacy.
Resident leadership is part of that legacy.
When we connect these ideas, we begin creating neighborhoods where future generations have greater opportunities to flourish.
Help Shape the Community Hub
The next chapter of Smalltimore Homes is our Community Hub—a place where neighbors, volunteers, students, organizations, businesses, researchers, and supporters can connect around housing, wellness, and community development.
We're currently gathering ideas before the platform is finalized because the best solutions are designed alongside the people they serve.
Whether you're interested in volunteering, partnering, sharing resources, conducting research, or simply staying connected, we'd love to hear from you.
Complete our two-minute Community Hub Interest Form:
Because healthier communities begin by listening.
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