3 Boston Hospitals Dedicate $3 Million To Low-Income Housing Initiative

Three Boston hospitals have teamed up to pledge $3 million over three years to help low-income families stay in their homes.

Officials at Boston Medical Center, Boston Children's Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital say the Innovative Stable Housing Initiative's first $1.5 million is slated for families struggling with unstable housing, including those behind on rent and at risk of eviction.

The hospitals are required to devote money to community initiatives as a condition of state approval for large construction projects at their campuses. The hospitals decided to focus on housing.

Wanda McClain, vice president of community health and health equity at Brigham and Women's Hospital, said there are clear connections between housing and health.

"Going in for health care when you don't have stable housing or are homeless is going to be a challenge," McClain said. "So we just thought it made sense to figure out how we could help address this problem that we're seeing in our community."

With reporting from WBUR's Newscast Unit and The Associated Press