Effective Example of Ending
Chronic Homelessness
As we begin to focus in New Jersey on how best to serve and house high users of emergency medical services who also experience chronic homelessness, Chicago offers a success story of how health and housing can effectively partner to effectively end homelessness for this population.
The Chicago Housing for Health Partnership (CHHP) administered by the AIDS Foundation of Chicago created a permanent, citywide collaborative between three public hospitals, 10 supportive housing agencies, and respite care programs that work together to identify, house, and serve the most severely ill individuals experiencing chronic homelessness.
The Journal of the American Medical Association (AMA) published a study of CHHP that showed participants in the program use:
- 1/3 less hospital inpatient days and
- ¼ less emergency room visits than those who were not in the program.
The program is projected to save over $1 million of public funds a year.
The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) interviewed Arturo Bendixen, Vice President for Housing Partnerships and the Director of CHHP, on what approaches work best to assist the chronically homeless population.
Click here for the interview.
For the Journal of the American Medical Association study, click here.
