homeless population throughout Santa Cruz County.  HPHP provides integrated medical, mental health and substance abuse treatment that includes medication-assisted treatment.

HPHP offers an on-site medication dispensary program and a project targeting frequent users of hospital emergency rooms.  Case managers assist with making referrals, housing navigation, benefits advocacy, and accessing medical care.

HPHP staff and clinics provide assistance to over 3,000 individuals per year and we provide permanent supportive housing to over 100 chronically homeless and medically vulnerable individuals.  Located at 115-A Coral Street in Santa Cruz, HPHP shares a campus with the Homeless Services Center and collaborates with several agencies to provide healthcare and housing while working to end homelessness in Santa Cruz County.

The Recuperative Care Center (RCC) is a partnership between the Homeless Service Center and the Homeless Persons Health Project, in collaboration with Dominican Hospital, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Central California Alliance for Health, and Hospice of Santa Cruz County. 

The RCC provides a 12 bed transitional medical shelter with integrated care services for homeless adults as they are referred from partnering agencies.  The RCC’s objective is to provide a medical home to medically vulnerable homeless individuals discharged from hospitals, which reduces avoidable hospital inpatient days, prevents unnecessary readmissions, and prevents unnecessary emergency department visits and ambulance transports.

The Homeless Persons’ Health Project operates three unique permanent supportive housing programs and provides ongoing support services to all our housed clients. HPHP conducts Individualized outreach, engagement, case management, care and support services  throughout the phases of housing program application, search, lease-up, move in and housing retention to increase each individual’s chances  for success.

HPHP provides services through integrated service teams at HPHP that provide wraparound services and offer client-centered services at the level desired by each participant. At HPHP, every client is assigned a case manager, weekly housing meetings occur to discuss client care among our multidisciplinary staff, and 24/7 on-call services exist to address issues that come up with any of our housed clients after hours.

The goal for each housing program participant is long-term housing retention, improved health, stability and self-reliance with an emphasis on increased motivation for positive changes and improved skills for self-care and independence.

Services

The Santa Cruz Homeless Persons Health Project (HPHP) offers a wide range of services to the homeless, low income, and non-insured populations of Santa Cruz, including:
• comprehensive primary medical care,
• walk-in public nurse health clinic,
• benefits advocacy,
• permanent supportive housing programs,
• medical case management,
• integrated behavioral health clinicians,
• Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) for opioid and other substance use disorders,
• community outreach and triage,
• Project Connect for frequent ED visitors,
• Recuperative Care Center (RCC), a twelve-bed 24-7 program for people discharged
from the hospital that require additional rest and recovery, and a host of other related services.

HPHP consistently receives grants from SAMHSA, HRSA, Central Coast Alliance for Health, and other organizations, acknowledging the level of care provided to their vulnerable clientele.

Linkages

In Santa Cruz, linkages include the Homeless Services Center Rebele Family Shelter, Page Smith Community House Transitional Housing Program, the Paul Lee Loft Shelter, Encompass Community Services River Street Shelter, participating in the Homeless Action Partnership (HAP) in Santa Cruz County that acts as the HUD mandated Continuum of Care, Santa Cruz AIDS Project, Mental Health Client Action Network, County Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, and Dominican Hospital. In Watsonville linkages include the Salvation Army, Pajaro Valley Shelter Services, and Watsonville Community Hospital. The Homeless Persons Health Project is an active participant in Santa Cruz County’s Smart Path Coordinated Entry System.

Statistics

Estimated homeless population: 2,167 (2019)

Patients served: 3,000+

Subcontractors

Dientes Community Dental Clinic

115 Coral Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Phone:

(831) 464-5409

Janus of Santa Cruz

200 7th Avenue, Suite 150 Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Phone:

(831) 432-1060

Fax:

(831) 462-4970

Planned Parenthood Westside Health Center

1119 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Phone:

(831) 426-5550

Fax:

(831) 425-0106