While CalAIM’s broad reach is intended to help all Medi-Cal enrollees, many of its reforms focus on improving care for specific populations. One of them is people experiencing homelessness, especially those who have complex physical or behavioral health needs.

CalAIM’s goal for people experiencing homelessness — or at risk of experiencing homelessness — is to provide a whole-person approach to care and to better address the social factors that impact their health. Enhanced Care Managers will coordinate people’s care, including connecting them to treatment for any physical or mental health conditions and substance use disorder. They will also connect enrollees to other needed services, including a new set of services not traditionally covered by Medi-Cal known as Community Supports.

Several of the Community Supports included in CalAIM are particularly relevant to people experiencing homelessness, including:

• Housing transition and navigation services, housing deposit assistance, and housing tenancy and sustaining services
• Medical Respite (also known as recuperative care) and short-term posthospitalization housing
• Sobering centers
• Day habilitation

For more resources on homelessness outside of the CalAIM initiative, please see CHCF’s Homelessness and Health Care Resource Center.