Expanding Resources to Help People Thrive

The Intersection of Housing First and Healthcare

While Housing First is a proven strategy, it can only succeed if comprehensive healthcare services are available when people are ready to accept them. Resources like healthcare, drug treatment, Medical Respite, Peer Support, and Community Health Workers are critical in providing continuous care.

Improving the Quality of Care

Care that is substandard, incomplete, or simply adequate is not sufficient for the needs of people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. To improve the overall quality of healthcare and other supportive services for this population, the Alliance focuses on policy solutions to ensure that care and services are rooted in evidence and culturally appropriate.

Expanding Access to Community Based Healthcare

Boosting access to healthcare access means ensuring that people can receive the care they need at home or within their communities. This can be achieved through policies that broaden the designations of who can provide healthcare services (including peer specialists and community health workers), expanding telehealth resources, and advancing street medicine and mobile health units. Additionally, by making Medicaid and Medicare easier for homeless services organizations to use, increasing capacity of states to implement Medicaid waivers, and increasing funding for a range of services for Substance Use Disorder treatment, we can build communities where access to a broad array of healthcare solutions is more available to people when they want and need them.

Improving Healthcare Access

Health insurance is critical to everyone’s well-being, yet people with low and extremely low incomes commonly struggle to have the coverage they need. The Alliance supports proposals  to expand benefits, streamline processes, remove barriers, and promote flexibility in healthcare access. This would expand coverage to ensure that all low-income households who need medical insurance are covered, while also reducing administrative burdens for states, organizations, and individuals.

Ensuring a Strong and Resourced Workforce

To consistently deliver high-quality services that people experiencing homelessness want and need, our nation needs a strong workforce that can meet the demand. Unfortunately, there is a widespread shortage of both workers and resources within the homeless services, healthcare, and human services workforces. That’s why the Alliance advocates for more federal resources to support the workforce and promote expanded pathways for employment in the healthcare and services workforce.