Resource Details

Housing Insecurity and Health Centers

The Case for Screening and Beyond

Year Developed: 2021

Resource Type: Archived Webinar.

Primary Audience: Administrative Staff C-Suite (CEOs, CFOs, CIO, COOs, CMOs, etc.)

Language(s): English

Developed by: National Health Care for the Homeless Council (See other resources developed by this organization).

Resource Summary: Housing insecurity was on the rise across the country even before the pandemic, which destabilized so many lives. If health centers are serious about the Social Determinants of Health, they should prioritize housing as a profoundly influential SDOH, regardless of HCH designation. This webinar featured two leaders whose health centers do NOT have HCH funding but provide quality services for people experiencing homelessness all the same. We discussed data on homelessness across the country, what UDS shows on screening for housing insecurity among non-HCH health centers, strategies for screening inclusively, and the breadth of the HRSA definition of homelessness. We concluded by highlighting a new HRSA-funded publication that goes deeper on all of these issues.

Resource Details: For the past four years, homelessness has risen across the country. According to the National Low-Income Housing Coalition, in no single US county can one afford a modest 2-bedroom apartment while earning the prevailing minimum wage. It is a 30-year crisis only recently garnering public attention. Fortunately, the Health Care for the Homeless (HCH) program exists, 300 agencies who served 65% of health center patients experiencing homelessness in 2020. But not every community has an HCH health center, and even those that do still struggle to serve all who live with housing insecurity. As a core component of the health care safety net, all health centers, regardless of HCH designation, have a stake in our affordable housing crisis. This webinar featured two leaders whose health centers do NOT have HCH funding but provide quality services for people experiencing homelessness all the same. We discussed data on homelessness across the country, what UDS shows on screening for housing insecurity among non-HCH health centers, strategies for screening inclusively, and the breadth of the HRSA definition of homelessness. We concluded by highlighting a new HRSA-funded publication that goes deeper on all of these issues.

Resource Topic: , Special and Vulnerable Populations

Resource Subtopic: Research and Data, Population Health, Community, Health, and Housing Partnerships, Social Determinants of Health (SDOH).

Keywords: Documentation, Persons Experiencing Homelessness, Policies and Procedures.