Health and Wellness

Bringing partners together to build health and wellness

Our health is everything

A wide variety of economic and social factors, including housing, food, transportation, education, income, working conditions, childhood experiences, social connection, and the physical environment—as well as access to quality medical and mental health care—all have a profound effect on the health of individuals and communities. Collectively these factors are known as social determinants of health.

Upper Kensington ranks last of 46 Philadelphia neighborhoods in health factors and health outcomes, according to a 2019 study by the City of Philadelphia and Dornsife School of Public Health at Drexel University.

A healthy mix of health and wellness

NKCDC has more than three decades of experience helping our neighbors live in safe, healthy homes, improve their community and build generational wealth. Over the past 10 years, NKCDC and its partners have come to understand that housing, environment, and even finances are all health care.

  • Nourish provides free nutrition education and healthy food with support from SNAP-Ed and committed private donors.
  • Community Health Workers connect community residents to social and medical services, with training from Jefferson University and funding from Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.
  • Health, Wellness, and Healing Corridors is our collaboration with Impact Services to turn empty buildings and lots on Kensington and Indiana Avenues into anchor properties that serve the community.
  • Community Garden Initiative brings the skills of a dozen NKCDC programs and partners together to build and program new garden spaces on Kensington and Indiana Avenues.
  • Home Repairs can vastly improve health by improving a family’s daily living environment.
  • Cleaning & Greening resources give neighbors tools to help make every block clean, healthy, and safe.

Health, Wellness & Healing Corridors

NKCDC and Impact Services are building a comprehensive plan to address the social determinants of health in Kensington. We aim to expand opportunities so that long-term residents in the neighborhood also have what they need to thrive and be successful.

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Urban Agriculture and Community Gardening

NKCDC is building and programming eight new community garden spaces along Kensington and Indiana Avenues in Kensington. These gardens aim to improve health outcomes for children and families and increase sustainable land sovereignty and food production in the area.

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Nourish

Nourish is NKCDC’s nutrition education program, funded in part by Pennsylvania SNAP-Ed. It connects Philadelphia households to healthy food, affordable recipes, healthy cooking techniques, nutrition information and other health resources.

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Connect to good health

NKCDC can help you find resources to meet your needs for housing, food, utilities, transportation, translation, education, child care, and anything else that may affect your health.

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Community Health Workers

NKCDC’s Community Health Workers connect residents to social and medical services, with training from Jefferson University and funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.

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Health Resources

Stay healthy with these sources of fresh food, affordable health care, lead and air quality testing, and help for opioid use and addiction. Contact our team of Community Health Workers to get connected to even more health resources.

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Home Repair

Let NKCDC connect you to free home repair or low-interest loan programs, and help you make your house more energy efficient at the same time. NKCDC will help you figure out how much home repair you can afford, and describe how to work with contractors.

Cleaning & Greening

Clean and green neighborhoods improve our physical and mental health. They also just look nice. Join a community cleanup, report illegal dumping, find lead and air quality testing, and learn about nearby vacant lots!

Safety

When neighbors look out for each other, everyone is safer. Use the City’s 911, 311 and tip lines, and join a local safety group to stay informed.

Open Space Management

In 1996, NKCDC and community members began cleaning vacant lots that were easy targets for illegal dumping and criminal activity. Today, our approach is the basis for the PHS LandCare Program, and our crew cleans and mows hundreds parcels every month.

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