Friday, August 1, 2025, leaders of Nationwide Children’s Healthy Neighborhoods Healthy Families initiative held an interactive session with members of the media, a very appropriate opportunity to shine light on the valuable works of the program.

The Healthy Neighborhoods Healthy Families initiative began in 2008 in Columbus’ South Side neighborhood. In 2021, it expanded on the bold vision of the One Linden plan to the Linden community, a few miles northeast of Columbus’ downtown.

During the session which emphasized the fact that Nationwide Children’s is building healthier neighborhoods, the leaders representing different units of the initiative spoke on their work at Liden and Southside, hospital backed housing efforts, and free tax services to the community.

On their work at Linden and Southside, more than 2,000 employees at Nationwide Children are hired through the development and hiring initiatives.

Interestingly, the Healthy Homes program is the largest children’s hospital-backed housing effort in the United States. Affordable housing is coordinated through Healthy Homes, a nonprofit housing organization and collaboration between Community Development for All People and Nationwide Children’s.

Since 2008, Healthy Homes has impacted more than 730 homes, which includes full-gut renovations, new buildings with energy efficient and green features, and grants to current residents through the Home Repair Program.

The Home Repair Program offered by Healthy Homes provides grants to homeowners in the HNHF area to make exterior improvements to their home. Repair items include roofs, windows, doors, porches, siding, painting, gutters, fences, walkways and landscaping. The program encourages residents to stay in their homes for at least three years after the repairs are made.

A bus tour to Linden included the Linden Fresh Food Market on Cleveland Avenue and some the homes in the Healthy Homes program.

The media engagement was not just to highlight the medical works of the Nationwide Children’s Hospital but an insight into the impact the hospital is making on its community through the Healthy Neighborhoods Healthy Families program.

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