Case Study Shows Services Boost Health

At Homeward Bound, we’ve always known that housing is health care. A case study by the Terner Center at U.C. Berkeley shows how our team is weaving health even tighter into our services with help from the state’s CalAIM initiative.

CalAIM provides state partnership to improve outcomes for people with Medi-Cal insurance. Work to shape enhanced care plans within our services began four years ago, putting Homeward Bound among the earliest adopters of CalAIM strategies.

The case study offers a deep dive into coordinating care for people who have experienced homelessness. It also provides vital findings:

• Shelters and supportive housing sites now serve an older population with increasingly complex medical and behavioral health conditions. (People aged 62 years and above made up 27% of people we served in the 2024-25 year.)
• Stronger care plans and medical coordination have let Homeward Bound create more stability for people who have cycled between homelessness, hospitalization and shelter.
• Weaving care into housing support through CalAIM offers a path to reduce overall health system costs while meeting individual needs.
• A larger response is needed to provide assisted living for seniors with complex needs who have been falling into homelessness in rising numbers.

Our staff is honored to be among four housing leaders highlighted by the Terner Center in their case studies. We appreciate their insights and aspire to support participants in achieving even more of their health goals.