Health Care for the Homeless: A Vision of Health for All

Prepared by Josephine Ensign | August 30, 2016

This unique report seeks to reconstruct the history of the Health Care for the Homeless (HCH) movement. Analyzing the movement’s origins, strengths, and challenges, the document also discusses HCH’s future within the contemporary U.S. health care landscape. Gathered from oral histories of the participants of the HCH Pioneers Session at the 2016 National HCH Conference & Policy Symposium in Portland, OR, this document illuminates the National Health Care for the Homeless Program and the National Health Care for the Homeless Council (NHCHC) through the testimonies of its long-term workers, or pioneers, as well as other source materials.

Table of Contents

John Lozier at the Pioneers Session (Credit: Ansell Horn)

Executive Summary

Introduction

Part One: Vision and Values

Part Two: Evolution of the Model of Care

Part Three: Impact

Part Four: Ongoing Work

Conclusion

Appendix: Timeline (PDF)

References

Download this guide in Adobe PDF format.

Acknowledgements

Disclaimer: This project was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number U30CS09746, a National Training and Technical Assistance Cooperative Agreement for $1,625,741, with 0% match from nongovernmental sources. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. All material in this document is public domain and may be used and reprinted without special permission.

The National Health Care for the Homeless Council is grateful for the support of the Kresge Foundation, the Melville Charitable Trust, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, and Mr. Fred Karnas for the organizing of the HCH Pioneers Session and for their commitments to ending the plague of homelessness in our nation.

The photos used in this document were taken by Ansell Horn, RN, NP, PhD. The Council is grateful to Dr. Horn for sharing his time and vision.