Making an Impact

Your Health. Your Voice. Your Neighborhood. 

Pittsburgh Hill/Homewood Research on Neighborhood Change and Health (PHRESH) has been studying the way neighborhood investments in the Hill District and Homewood residents of Pittsburgh affect things like diet, sleep, health and well-being for more than 10 years. 

We've learned that when residents are involved in decisions shaping their neighborhood, communities can become healthier and happier because of it. 

Explore our findings

"It's my life. I can't think of living anywhere else in the world than the Hill District. Every brick, every alley is in my spirit. I just love this place."

Brenda Tate, Hill District

 

COVID-19 + Food Insecurity

The Pandemic Hit Black Neighborhoods the Hardest, with Food Insecurity on the Rise

Health + Well-Being

Your Zip Code Can Affect Your Health Just as Much as Your Genetic Codes

Neighborhood Investment

Communities Thrive When Residents Are Involved in Decisions That Affect Their Neighborhoods

"I grew up here in Homewood. I moved to Atlanta and lived there for 15 years, and I relocated back to Homewood in 2006. My neighborhood has changed and a lot of ways since I came back. So if there [continue to be] development and investments happening, I'd like to see the benefit go across the board for the people who have been here and not just to the new residents to come in." 

NeKeisha Carter - Homewood Resident

Know the Facts

Higher quality housing and safer, more walkable neighborhoods are linked with healthy behaviors, day and night. 

Rates of food insecurity in the Hill District and Homewood nearly doubled at the onset of the pandemic to 37 percent.

Community engagement plus community-based investments equals better physical and financial health for residents. 

About RAND and PHRESH

RAND is a nonprofit organization that conducts research to help policymakers and leaders make informed decisions. Part of our mission is to help individuals, families, and communities throughout the world be safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous. 

The PHRESH study has supported this mission since 2011, when we first hired members of the Hill District and Homewood communities to interview fellow residents about neighborhood access to a grocery store. We've since grown to explore other neighborhood changes, like housing improvements, business openings, parks and more. 

Work with Us

The goal of PHRESH is to capture residents' health and well-being over time. We hire residents from the community to help with data collection and welcome your feedback. 

For more information, contact PHRES Field Coordinator La'Vette Wagner at 412-586-5695 or lmwagner@rand.org. 

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to: 

  • All PHRESH participants
  • The PHRESH team
  • Barbara Zwick, the late Charles J. Zwick and the Zwick Impact Fund
  • The National Institutes of Health (National Cancer Institute [NCI] grants CA149105, CA164137 and National Heart Lung and Blood Institute [NHLBI] grants HL122460, HL131531)