Improving Care for People Experiencing Homelessness

Mather C, Hardin L, Arsenault M. Improving care for people experiencing homelessness. Healthcare Executive. 2023;39(6):48-51.

The clear connections between homelessness, poor health, and increased use of emergency health services highlight the significant overlap between the populations served by the health care system and those served by the homeless response system. They also point to the pressing need for cross-sector collaboration to drive systematic, sustained reductions in homelessness that can lead to both improved access to housing and better health outcomes at the population level.

Community Solutions and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement have worked together for years, implementing improvement methods and leading innovation in quality and accountability in clinical and community settings to help effectively and sustainably end homelessness. 

This article describes the key lessons learned from a three-year pilot project, led by IHI and Community Solutions, that brought together leaders from local homeless response systems and health systems in five US communities, with the goal of improving the experience and outcomes for people experiencing homelessness.