Amid a housing crisis, hospitals offer a dose of relief

Bill Walton, the facilities operations manager of the LA+USC Medical Center walks down a hallway in the Los Angeles County General Hospital. L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis has unveiled plans to convert the building into low- and middle-income housing.

Bill Walton, the facilities operations manager of the LA+USC Medical Center walks down a hallway in the Los Angeles County General Hospital. L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis has unveiled plans to convert the building into low- and middle-income housing. Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

 

Connecting state and local government leaders

The housing crisis may be too big for state and local governments to overcome. That’s why hospitals are stepping in to remedy housing and health care gaps.

From providing life-saving surgeries to diagnostic testing and lab work, hospitals work relentlessly to protect the health and well-being of everyone, including society’s most vulnerable members like those experiencing homelessness. But what happens in the hospital, oftentimes stays in the hospital. And for individuals without a stable home, managing their health conditions outside of a medical setting can be difficult. So hospitals are adding a new line of care to their services: housing the unhoused. 

Over the last decade, more medical facilities have tapped into the housing market as they recognize that a lack of secure housing contributes to poor health outcomes and higher spending for hospitals and state and local governments, said Barbara DiPietro, senior director of policy at the National Health Care for the Homeless Council. A 2020 study found, for instance, that Medicaid spending on individuals enrolled in the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program averaged $18,764 per person per year compared with $7,561 for those who were not enrolled, according to claims data. 

It’s not just the current population of unhoused individuals that should concern policymakers and health care providers. DiPietro pointed to the fact that 1 in 4 households that qualify for housing assistance do not receive the aid they need. That leaves about 75% of families with an unmet need—and an increased risk of homelessness—as housing costs continue to swiftly outpace residents’ income. Individuals experiencing homelessness, for instance, are at a higher risk of health complications but often lack the capacity to manage their health. 

“That’s why we see a lot of hospital admissions, readmissions and longer lengths of stay for people who are homeless who’ve got chronic illnesses. It’s hard to maintain hypertension, asthma and all of that when you’re living on the street,” DiPietro said. “[I]f the community is in a healthier space, then that presumably helps the hospital itself in terms of the number and rates of admissions and the health care status of the people that they're responsible for caring for.” 

To get ahead of gaps in housing and health care access, health care providers are stepping in to offer housing and housing-related services for vulnerable populations. 

One such effort is the Housing for Health program operated by the Bon Secours Mercy Health System in Maryland. Under the program, the system manages more than 800 affordable housing units for low-income families, individuals with disabilities and aging adults across West Baltimore. Tenants have access to wireless internet, a gym, in-unit washers and dryers, and a produce delivery service. The program also links residents with service coordinators to help them schedule medical appointments, apply for public benefits and seek preventative care like health screenings, among other wraparound services.

In 2018, the Bon Secours Mercy Health System invested an additional $5.7 million into Housing for Health to support its operations, and a 2021 report found the hospital system’s efforts were paying off. Researchers said for every dollar that went toward the operating expense, the program yielded a social return on investment of up to $1.92 due to factors like reduced hospitalizations and better medication management among patients. 

In Colorado, a partnership between the Denver Health Medical Center and the Denver Housing Authority to convert a medical office building into 110 affordable housing units began accepting its first few residents late last year. Ninety-six of the apartments will house adults aged 55 or older and residents with disabilities, and the other 14 will serve as transitional housing for unhoused patients leaving the hospital. The complex will include an onsite health and wellness program to help residents find long-term housing solutions. 

“Hospitals are really positioned as strong partners in any community to be the thought leaders on what health and health care looks like in a community," DiPietro said. But that role is threatened, particularly as hospitals across the country are facing increasing financial pressure due to workforce shortages, decreased funding from governments and the rise of private equity.

Policymakers, particularly at the state level, must consider how to support medical systems’ housing efforts, she said. State lawmakers could, for instance, pass policies that address medical debt and how it impacts residents’ credit scores given that medical debt and poor health remains one of the leading causes of homelessness. 

It’s also crucial for states to remove barriers to accessing health care coverage, such as increasing the types of insurance plans offered in insurance marketplaces. When it comes to insurance, DiPietro said Medicaid expansion is a “fundamental” way to increase individuals’ access to quality care, but 10 states have yet to do it. 

While hospitals are able to support increased housing supply and availability in communities, “states are in the driver’s seat … and need to own their role in [mitigating] these problems,” DiPietro said.

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.