Enhancing Access to Mainstream Funding to Cover Homeless Services

The long-term viability of homeless housing and services, in particular supportive housing programs, depends on accessing sustainable funding. One important strategy focuses on making better use of mainstream service funding, including heath care, mental health, substance abuse, employment, benefits program, and homeless and runaway youth program dollars, which are targeted for people with low incomes. To this end, HomeBase is working with providers to identify areas where federal or state authorization is needed to broaden Medicaid program eligibility criteria or allowed usage of funds so that more homeless people can qualify and more services offered by supportive housing programs can be reimbursed. We are also working to identify other areas where existing policy or regulations block access by homeless people and/or homeless programs to vital mainstream services and/or service dollars.