Housing 4 the Homeless

We're two moms who are very worried/concerned about the growing homeless crisis and how it impacts our families and neighborhoods. When we started to get to know some of the people who live unsheltered among us we realized that everyone has a unique story. The ones that we found the most tragic are our seniors, most medically compromised, some with age related cognitive decline. MOST of these people can get off the streets with some help.

The data shows there are approximately over 2000 seniors experiencing homelessness in San Diego. More often than not they are medically compromised in some way that is associated with aging. Older Adults both housed and unhoused face this challenge in their later years and sometimes require and extra level of care and patient advocacy when meeting with doctors and care givers.

We also know preventive care is key when addressing geriatric needs. That is where Joanne & I come in. Much of our time is spent on spending quality time with the seniors and building trust so that we can then advocate for them within our healthcare system.

Many of the San Diego seniors experiencing homelessness often rely on our already impacted local Emergency Departments. The average cost can be upwards of $3000 a day.

It is our intention to keep building teams of appropriate geriatric health care providers to avoid the continuous ED visits that are quite costly.

In order to do this effectively we bring the medically compromised seniors into our hotel program so that we can begin the stabilization process and quickly and effectively connect them to out patient healthcare providers.

During this medical triage stabilization period in our hotel program we also enter the seniors into the Homeless Management Intake System for housing. We also get fast at work to ensure each senior is document ready for the Housing Commission. Often we find this is where the seniors need a lot of personal one on one assistance. Navigating this process is not always user friendly for seniors who are not comfortable or adept with using cell phones or computers. To be honest they still prefer the old fashion land lines for effective communication purposes found in our hotel rooms.

We also have a team of volunteer nurses who visit the seniors in person at the hotel. They perform routine check ups, wound care and address hygiene needs which may include bathing assistance. Many have chronic mobility issues.

We have also found in our experience that Older Adults have a need for immediate restroom access. Many Independent Living Facilities will not accept a senior with incontinence. The simple benefit of having a private restroom in their hotel room can not be overstated.

We also have witnessed numerous incidents where seniors are discharged early from skilled nursing facilities due to insurance barriers. We also evaluate new medical insurance plans that may be a better fit while the seniors stay with us too.

While living on the streets it next to impossible for the seniors to be able to effectively navigate both health care systems & homeless services systems. While the goal is self sufficiency we know Older Adults both housed and unhoused struggle with aging. Often the seniors fall through the cracks if they do not have an advocate and that is what we do most effectively for the seniors.

So thank you for your time and consideration for helping us at Housing 4 the Homeless to continue the triage stabilization work with the seniors that then leads to successful medical and housing outcomes for our Elders who have so much wisdom to share with all of us when we listen.