People experiencing homelessness often have complex health care and social service needs which present significant care challenges to hospitals, such as longer lengths of stays, higher readmission rates, and complicated chronic illnesses. Transitions from emergency department visits or hospital inpatient stays can be a dangerous experience for people experiencing homelessness, as they tend to lack a safe space to recuperate. Medical respite programs (MRPs) address this gap in transitional care, enabling people experiencing homelessness to recover from acute care stays in a safe and supportive environment before returning to the community. This issue brief supplements the existing body of evidence on the need for and effectiveness of MRPs.
This research was conducted under contract between HHS/ASPE’s Office of Behavioral Health, Disability, and Aging Policy (BHDAP) and Mathematica, subcontracted to Mission Analytics. Additional research in this area is available at the ASPE Homelessness & Housing page.
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Available Reports:
Related Products:
- Addressing Homelessness Among Older Adults: Final Report (2023)
- Health Conditions Among Individuals With a History of Homelessness Research Brief (2021) (HTML version also available)
- Individuals Experiencing Homelessness are Likely to have Medical Conditions Associated with Severe Illness from COVID-19 Issue Brief (2020) (HTML version also available)
- A Primer on Using Medicaid for People Experiencing Chronic Homelessness and Tenants in Permanent Supportive Housing (2014) (HTML version also available)
- Health, Housing, and Service Supports for Three Groups of People Experiencing Chronic Homelessness (2012) (HTML version also available)