Health & Human Services

7 ways cities are actively improving citizens’ mental health

From mindfulness apps to counseling as an affordable housing service, local governments are paying more attention to mental health in their communities — and finding ways to enhance it.

Durban, SA emphasises harm reduction to address addiction

The city leveraged strong partnerships to provide services to its homeless population during the pandemic. The result was the country’s largest and most successful drug withdrawal treatment programme.

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eThekwini, KZN

South Africa

Colerain Township fights the opioid epidemic with compassion

The Ohio town has developed a human-centered approach to addiction support services that has grown so successful it’s now used in at least eight states.

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Colerain, OH

United States

Leeds, GB develops an app to combat loneliness

The award-winning mobile app combines crowd-sourcing and geolocation with human-centred services to facilitate social outreach.

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Leeds City Council, GB

United Kingdom

Local governments turn to hotels to help fight the pandemic

Cities are renting hotel rooms to use for additional hospital beds, space for medical professionals, and shelter for the homeless.

Santa Monica, CA tracks citizens’ health, happiness, and quality of life with the "Well-Being Index"

Santa Monica tracks citizens’ health, happiness, and quality of life – and it uses this data to drive decision-making.

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Santa Monica, CA

United States

Denver, CO deploys air quality sensors to help those with asthma in low-income neighborhoods

Denver deploys sensor network to tackle asthma problem in low-income neighborhoods.

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Denver, CO

United States

West Sacramento, CA maps out homeless population

How the one city's partnership with a tech startup is helping some of California's most off-the-grid residents.

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West Sacramento, CA

United States