Over $860K in funding provides recuperative care and housing for homeless Medi-Cal members in Monterey County.
Scotts Valley, Calif., September 9, 2021 – Central California Alliance for Health (the Alliance), the Medi-Cal managed health care plan for residents of Monterey, Merced and Santa Cruz counties, is proud to announce its collaboration with Community Homeless Solutions, Monterey County’s largest provider of housing and resources for people experiencing homelessness. The Alliance awarded Community Homeless Solutions two separate grants through its Medi-Cal Capacity Grant Program, which offers funding to community organizations wishing to increase access and expand services for Alliance Medi-Cal members.
The Alliance is supporting the Central Coast Respite Center at Community Homeless Solutions through over $834,000 in grant funding from its Recuperative Care Pilot program. The pilot program funds recuperative care for Medi-Cal members who are currently homeless and recovering from an illness or injury. Community Homeless Solutions will have four recuperative care beds available for stays between 30-60 days. This short-term housing solution is an alternative to hospital care for individuals experiencing homelessness who no longer need hospital care but have medical needs that would worsen if living on the street or in a shelter. Recuperative care reduces the likelihood of hospital readmission and allows people the opportunity to heal in a safe space while accessing medical treatment and other supportive services like case management and housing navigation.
Recognizing that housing is one of the most important social determinants of health that directly impacts health outcomes, the Recuperative Care Pilot includes funding for bridge housing, also known as temporary housing, for Alliance Medi-Cal members who are exiting recuperative care and awaiting a more permanent housing placement. The Alliance awarded Community Homeless Solutions an additional $26,000 to complete renovations to their bridge housing site. These upgrades will make more beds available to Alliance Medi-Cal members who have exited Central Coast Respite Center and are working towards obtaining permanent housing.
“The link between housing and health is undeniable,” said Alliance CEO Stephanie Sonnenshine. “The Recuperative Care Pilot provides our unhoused members in Monterey County temporary housing while they heal and work towards finding a permanent home. Access to safe and stable housing is a key to improving and maintaining health. We are proud to partner with Community Homeless Solutions on this important local initiative, as it moves us one step closer to achieving our vision of ‘healthy people, healthy communities’.”
“Community Homeless Solutions is pleased to continue to partner with our three local hospitals – CHOMP, SVMH and Natividad – and its newest partner, the Alliance, in both continuing and expanding the capabilities of its local respite care program for Monterey County,” said Executive Director Eric Johnsen. “Our partnership with the Alliance will now enable Community Homeless Solutions to not only have support from licensed nursing and medical staff to further help patients recover, but additionally will support a ‘bridge housing’ piece that provides extra housing time while staff work with guests to find permanent housing solutions. This ‘step up’ in services truly adds a new level of medical care and attention to some of our most vulnerable in our community, which is very much aligned with our mission of helping people to transition to a better tomorrow.”
Community Homeless Solutions is Monterey County’s largest provider of homeless transitional housing and emergency shelter beds, including shelter for women and children fleeing domestic violence. Since 1978 they have successfully impacted the community by creating opportunities for people to move forward. They provide information, motivation, and compassion to their clients through case management, counseling, referrals, mentoring, career guidance, and enrichment activities. For more information, visit www.communityhomelesssolutions.org.
Central California Alliance for Health (the Alliance) is a regional Medi-Cal managed care health plan, established in 1996 to improve access to health care for over 370,000 members in Santa Cruz, Monterey and Merced counties. Using the state’s County Organized Health System (COHS) model, the Alliance delivers innovative community-based health care services by connecting members with providers that deliver timely services and care, focused on prevention, early detection and effective treatment. As an award-winning managed care health plan with a vision of “healthy people, healthy communities,” the Alliance remains focused on efforts to improve access to quality health care for its members. For more information, visit www.thealliance.health.
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