The University of Alabama at Birmingham will evaluate the impact of public housing renovation and neighborhood revitalization on the health of community residents in the Smithfield, Graymont and College Hills communities, thanks to an allocation of $200,000 to evaluate the health effects and economic impact of the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative.
Gabriela Oates, Ph.D., associate professor in the UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine, will lead the effort. She is joined by Mike Wells, M.D., Lori Bateman, Ph.D., and Maria Pisu, Ph.D., from the Heersink School of Medicine, along with Peter Jones, Ph.D., and Stephanie Pink-Harper, Ph.D., from the College of Arts and Sciences Department of Political Science and Public Administration.
With support from the UAB Lung Health Center, investigators are conducting physical examinations and collecting blood and exhaled breath samples from residents. The team is administering surveys to measure stress, self-reported health, perceptions of neighborhood walkability and safety, and health behaviors such as physical activity before and after the CNI implementation. Analyses of property valuations and interviews with business owners will help quantify the initiative’s economic impact.
In addition to evaluating the health and economic impacts of the CNI initiative, the UAB team will determine whether indoor air purification can improve community health.
“Few interventions have examined the extent to which specific modifications of housing and neighborhood conditions improve health outcomes,” Oates said. “Our project will fill this gap.”
The UAB team has already collected data and samples from 120 participants. “One secret to this success is our citizen science approach,” Oates said. “We have trained six HABD residents in study recruitment, consent and data collection, and have employed them as community research assistants. We are training an additional six to join our work.”
Utilizing a $50 million grant from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, the CNI will modernize outdated public housing through strategic replacement and renovation. The initiative brings together the Housing Authority of the Birmingham District, the City of Birmingham, UAB and key community partners.
“The HABD has been a fantastic partner in this work,” Oates said. “Director of Client Services Armon Matthews and HABD employees Yamika Foy, Tumesha Tarrant, Sameka Kidd, Brian Stutson, Miranda Young, Darryl Washington and Tim Wormley have gone out of their way to help us — arranging property walk-throughs, space for study exams, storage for study equipment and information sessions for residents. HABD Senior Advisor and Chief Strategist Seth Embry and CNI Director Melanie Bimbo have provided ongoing assistance. The office of Councilor Darrell O’Quinn, representing District 5 of the Birmingham City Council, has been exceptionally supportive as well.”
“The HUD Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant transforms communities,” said Melanie Bimbo, CNI Director HABD. “Through our collaboration with UAB, we are addressing more than the physical structures; we are investing in quality of life, health, and long-term well-being for the families who call these neighborhoods home. This work will have an impact not only today, but for generations to come.”
The project is guided by a seven-member Community Advisory Board representing HABD resident councils and neighborhood associations, with additional support of the UAB Center for the Study of Community Health.
“We are grateful for our partnership with UAB,” said Armon Matthews, Director of Client Services HABD. “This initiative allows our agency to support our communities in a more comprehensive way, extending care well beyond housing. UAB is already present at all our properties, offering wellness, nutrition, and health-focused programming. We’re excited to help advance research that will ultimately address long-standing health inequities and improve the well-being of our residents.”
The collaboration among academic investigators, HABD, community stakeholders and neighborhood residents underscores the strength of citizen science. It demonstrates how strong community-academic partnerships can generate actionable evidence to reduce chronic disease risk in under-resourced communities.