Destination Health: Solving Homelessness

We know that health is about so much more than health care. Understanding this is critical to helping us think about how we best promote health beyond the four walls of our hospitals and medical offices and is essential to our efforts in improving the health of our communities.

For example: even the best care isn’t enough to keep people healthy if they do not have a roof over their head. A safe, stable home is necessary to thrive, and access to affordable, secure and reliable housing is key to improving the health of our communities and serves to advance the economic, social and environmental conditions for total health.

Much of the country – most notably right here in one of Kaiser Permanente’s own communities in the Bay Area – is grappling with the highest rates of homelessness in recent history. Housing costs continue to rise, neighborhood gentrification and other barriers make the problem difficult to solve. That is the reality that makes homelessness one of the most critical health issues of our time.

We simply cannot and will not accept that homelessness is unsolvable. There is an urgent need to identify solutions to the homeless and affordable housing crisis, because, in the United States of America – one of the wealthiest of nations – no family should ever be without a place to call home. We must be bold and creative in our fight to ensure communities have the resources they need to combat homelessness.

We are bringing our resources and expertise to address the problem, where the rubber meets the road in a number of ways, and we are determined to help make progress. In other words, we are pulling all the levers that are available to us. We are focused on ending homelessness in our communities through unique partnerships and programs; increasing affordable housing in the regions and cities that need it most; shaping policy on federal and local levels by working with national, state and city leaders; and transforming health care and housing interventions and services. I’ve detailed some of those efforts in this space before.

We are also convening leaders and organizations that have to be engaged and committed for meaningful progress to occur. Part of tackling any challenge of this size is to learn from one another, turn progress into more progress and bring a sense of momentum to the fight. That’s why we are bringing together a group of leaders at the Commonwealth Club of California tonight.

We will hear from co-chairs of California's new Commission on Homelessness & Supportive Housing Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas on state-wide solutions to this public health issue, and as well from Hawaii's Lt. Gov. Josh Green, M.D., and leading field practitioners to share their perspectives.

Together, we are looking at new ways to solve homelessness and advancing public-private partnership to solve this public health crisis. My hope is that Kaiser Permanente can continue to bring together people and organizations committed to solving this issue. We set out every day to look beyond our walls and work to advance the economic, social, and environmental conditions for health. Our work is anchored by our mission to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. I know that we will have progress soon.