Affordable housing is an essential social determinant of health, yet millions of Americans do not have access to affordable housing options. We spoke with Dr. Troy Nash, an affordable housing real estate developer and Brown University Online MPH student, who is working alongside his daughter to increase affordable housing options for individuals living in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods in Kansas City, Missouri and across the country.
In the following interview Nash discusses his background, what inspired him to pursue public health, why he’s passionate about affordable housing and how he’s applying what he’s learned in the Online MPH program to his work.
Can you tell me about your background and what inspired you to get involved in health?
Growing up, my mother had six children and struggled herself. By the time I was born, she had overcome some of her challenges, yet we were still living in abject poverty in roach and rat-infested Section 8 housing. For me, the Air Force was a way out of that environment.
Once I joined the Air Force, my life changed. From there, I got involved with a great number of things, all of which dealt with helping people. This manifested as service in many community-based projects. I have been elected to public office twice and worked in the community where I grew up - where people like me had been written off. I’ve worked with child care, the elderly, foster grandparent programs and picked up trash off the streets. I’ve done it all.
I also served on the board of directors for the Samuel Rogers Community Health Center, which was the first federally recognized community health center in Missouri and the fourth in the United States. Back in the day, African Americans weren’t allowed to seek health care at many of the community hospitals. They had to rely on their own hospitals and community health centers. Dr. Rogers founded this health center near a public housing project and delivered four generations of Black babies in our community – he is a legend.
After that, I was hired to build a new state-of-the-art, federally qualified health center. The opportunity to serve on the board of directors with Samuel Rogers and work with him directly before he died led me to fall in love with community health. It made me want to change the world.