NATIONAL HEALTH CARE FOR HOMELESS COUNCIL

THE NATIONAL HEALTH CARE FOR THE HOMELESS COUNCIL PROVIDES NATIONAL, STATE AND LOCAL-LEVEL TRAINING RELATED TO THE UNIQUE FEATURES AND NEEDS OF HOMELESS POPULATIONS TO THE 1,400+ FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTERS WITH A FOCUS ON 300 HEALTH CENTERS THAT SPECIFICALLY SERVE HOMELSS POPULATIONS, 150+ MEDICAL RESPITE PROGRAMS AND OTHER SAFETY NET PROGRAMS THAT PROVIDE CARE TO MORE THAN ONE MILLION HOMELESS PATIENTS PER YEAR. PROGRAM SERVICES INCLUDE: VIRTUAL TRAININGS, COMMUNTIES OF PRACTICE AND A NATIONAL CONFERENCE, PLUS SITE-SPECIFIC TRAININGS AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FROM PEER EXPERTS IN THE FIELD. THE COUNCIL MAINTAINS A COMPRESHENSIVE WEBSITE OF HEALTH CARE FOR THE HOMELES INFORMATION AND REGULAR PUBLICATIONS. THE NHCHC IS A NATIONAL TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PARTNER OF THE HEALTH RESOURCES AND SERVICES ADMINISTRATION. IN FY25, NHCHC RESPONDED TO NEARLY 150 TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE REQUESTS. THE TOP THREE CATEGORIES WERE MEDICAL RESPITE, QUALITY IMPROVEMENT AND CLINICAL PRACTICE. IN ADDITION TO RESPONDING TO REQUESTS, THE COUNCIL PREPARES AND DISTRIBUTES ISSUE BRIEFS, FACT SHEETS, AND REPORTS, AS WELL AS NEWSLETTERS. TOPICS INCLUDED SUPPORTING OLDER ADULTS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, END OF LIFE CARE IN MEDICAL RESPITE CARE PROGRAMS, MORTALITY AND HOMELESSNESS, PATHWAYS INTO AND OUT OF FAMILY HOMELESSNESS AND MORE.THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL RESPITE CARE (NIMRC) IS A SPECIAL PROGRAM OF THE COUNCIL CREATED TO HELP EXPAND AND ADVANCE MEDICAL RESPITE CARE. IN THE PAST YEAR, THE COUNCIL HAS HELPED MORE THAN 50 MEDICAL RESPITE PROGRAMS GET STARTED, EXPAND SERVICES, OR IMPROVE OPERATIONS THROUGH TRAINING, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, AND CONDUCTING LEARNING COMMUNITIES. WE ALSO PROVIDED INPUT TO SEVERAL STATE GOVERNMENTS THAT ARE IN VARIOUS STAGES OF INCLUDING MEDICAL RESPITE AS A BENEFIT IN THEIR STATE MEDICAID PLAN. WE WERE PRIVILEGED TO DISBURSE MORE THAN $9M TO SUPPORT MEDICAL RESPITE PROGRAMS SINCE THE LAUNCH OF NIMRC IN JULY 2020. IN APRIL 2025, NIMRC LAUNCHED A FIRST OF ITS KIND NATIONAL CERTIFICATION PROCESS FOR MEDICAL RESPITE CARE PROGRAMS. NIMRC HAS DESIGNED A VOLUNTARY CERTIFICATION PROCESS BUILT ON ROBUST STAKEHOLDER INPUT AND A NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED FRAMEWORK FOR MEDICAL RESPITE CARE PROGRAMS. OVER 60 PROGRAMS APPLIED FOR CERTIFICATION IN APRIL 2025 REPRESENTING ABOUT 25% OF THE FIELD. NIMRC IS ON TRACK TO CERTIFY OVER 100 PROGRAMS IN THE FIRST 3 YEARS.

A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF NHCHC'S GENERAL SUPPORT COMES FROM THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE. NHCHC HELD ITS ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN BALTIMORE, MD IN MAY 2025. THE CONFERENCE REACHED 983 REGISTRATIONS, WITH 868 ATTENDEES REPRESENTING 46 STATES, WASHINGTON DC, GUAM, PUERTO RICO, AND CANADA. IN ADDITION, 157 HEALTH CARE FOR THE HOMELESS PROGRAMS WERE REPRESENTED AND 61 INDIVIDUALS WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE OF HOMELESSNESS WERE ABLE TO ATTEND. THE ANNUAL EVENT INCLUDES PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS, NUMEROUS EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS, AND LEARNING LABS. TOPICS INCLUDE STREET MEDICINE, END OF LIFE CARE, MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING, SHARED HUMANITY, MEDICAL RESPITE, CONSUMER ENGAGEMENT, AND DIASTER PREPAREDNESS.