Health Care for the Homeless (HCH) programs are federally funded community health centers required to serve a population composed primarily of people experiencing homelessness. They were first developed in 1987 and provide tailored services to meet the specific health care needs of people who are unhoused.
HCH programs, established under Section 330 of the Public Health Service Act and funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration, are integral to the network of community health centers serving people with complex needs.
HCH grantees in California are a crucial component of the state’s health care safety net, particularly given the high rates of homelessness in the state’s major cities. These programs have a variety of organizational structures, including Federally Qualified Health Centers, and they deliver care through multiple service sites and in multiple ways, such as mobile vans and street outreach. Their impact is substantial: in 2021, they served over 225,000 patients statewide.
- California’s 44 HCH grantees operate in rural, suburban, and urban areas across the state.
- The grantees that serve the highest proportion of people experiencing homelessness are Alameda County Health Services Agency, Contra Costa Health Services, San Francisco Community Clinic Consortium, Village Family Health Center / Father Joe’s Villages (San Diego County), and Ritter Center (Marin County).
- California’s grantees that serve the highest numbers of people experiencing homelessness are Family Health Centers of San Diego, Contra Costa Health Services, Northeast Valley Health Corporation (LA County), San Francisco Community Clinic Consortium, and Wesley Health Centers / JWCH Institute (LA County).
This paper describes how HCH grantees are funded and structured, and how they are suited to work with managed care plans through the CalAIM (California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal) initiative.
