What is Medical Respite Care? 

Creating Places to Heal

Medical respite care, also known as Recuperative Care, is acute and post-acute care for people experiencing homelessness who are too ill or frail to recover from an illness or injury on the streets or in a shelter, but who do not require hospital-level care.

Unlike “respite” for caregivers, “medical respite” is short-term residential care that allows individuals experiencing homelessness the opportunity to rest, recover, and heal in a safe environment while accessing medical care and other supportive services. Medical respite care is offered in a variety of settings including freestanding facilities, homeless shelters, motels, and transitional housing.

Before You Launch: The First Steps in Building a Medical Respite Program

These programs fill a critical gap between hospital discharge and long-term housing. As the field of medical respite care continues to grow, more communities are expressing interest in developing a program. While the need itself may be clear, determining how and where to begin can be challenging. Learn more about the initial steps and a practical starting point for program development in our resource: Before You Launch: The First Steps in Building a Medical Respite Program.