End of Life Care in Medical Respite Programs Guide
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Medical respite care programs have seen an increasing need for more resources related to palliative and end-of-life care for people experiencing homelessness. We are excited to share our newest resource focused on the topic, “End of Life Care in Medical Respite Programs.” This comprehensive guide goes into depth into considerations, preparation, and training needed for medical respite programs to partner with hospice organizations in order to support individuals in need of palliative and end-of-life care within their medical respite programs.
You can access the guide here.
Additionally, the National Health Care for the Homeless Council partnered with SAMHSA’s Homeless and Housing Resource Center to develop an online course focused on Advanced Care Planning. This is a beneficial supplemental resource to the End of Life Care Guide, but is also important for all medical respite programs to be able to help have Advanced Care Planning conversations with their clients. This course can be accessed here.
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Health Management Toolkit
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Supporting clients in developing health management skills is an important part of medical respite care programs. The new Health Management Toolkit is a resource that partners with the previous Assessing and Addressing Health Management guidelines, to support programs in identifying health management needs of those in their programs. The new toolkit allows providers to explore resources to help adapt or build skills in program participants related to their health management needs.
You can access the toolkit here.
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Our team at the National Health Care for the Homeless Council is thrilled to share a new resource highlighting ways in which health centers and medical respite care (MRC) programs can use the SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) model to help participants with disabling conditions obtain disability income (SSI/SSDI).
In partnership with the SAMHSA SOAR Technical Assistance Center, we interviewed 30 key informants from 18 organizations across the United States, seeking to better understand:
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- How SOAR is currently being utilized in health centers and MRC programs;
- The impact that such SOAR work has on participants and organizations;
- Strategies for optimizing SOAR initiatives within these settings.
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This resource synthesizes our key learnings and describes proven strategies employed by practitioners in the field that can be adapted and replicated elsewhere.
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Updated Defining Characteristics of Medical Respite Care
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The Defining Characteristics of Medical Respite Care were initially introduced in 2021 as a quick, 1-page resource to educate policymakers, advocates, and potential partners on the common traits of medical respite care programs and what medical respite care is not. To ensure ongoing relevancy to the field, the RCPN Steering Committee provided recommendations to update the resource in alignment with changes across medical respite programs.
The revised Defining Characteristics of Medical Respite Care document is now published and available on the website.
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Cheers to 5 Years of the National Institute for Medical Respite Care! |
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The National Health Care for the Homeless Council is thrilled to celebrate five years of the National Institute for Medical Respite Care! Launched July 2020, NIMRC is a special program built by the Council to advance best practices, deliver expert consulting services, and disseminate state-of-field knowledge in recuperative and medical respite care.
Medical respite services have expanded rapidly nationwide, with programs now in at least 40 states. A foundational aspect of NIMRC is creating intentional spaces for those in the medical respite community to connect and share their experiences.
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Hello RCPN Members,
This summer we are celebrating five years of the National Institute for Medical Respite Care (NIMRC)! This is a big milestone for us and for the broader medical respite field. When we launched this first of its kind national institute in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, we were not sure what the future would hold. We soon found out how much the field needed NIMRC.
It's impossible to share all of the achievements from the past five years in a few bullet points, but here are some highlights of this special program:
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Dozens of new resources for the field including thirteen online courses, updated Standards for Medical Respite Care, and a foundational resource for anyone new to medical respite care: A Framework for Medical Respite Care
- Designed, tested, and launched a national NIMRC Certification for Medical Respite Programs to help programs demonstrate quality and consistency to their clients, funders, and community partners.
- Hosted over 100 trainings, webinars, coffee chats, and in-person meetings across the country including the 2024 California Recuperative Care Symposium with 250 attendees.
- Regranted over $5 million dollars directly to medical respite programs for development and capacity building. This includes facilitating 500+ 1:1 technical assistance calls with programs and community partners.
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Supported multiple states in their work to make medical respite care a Medicaid reimbursable service including serving on statewide benefit design workgroups, and facilitating learning networks of medical respite programs, hospitals, and managed care plans.
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Expanded the Medical Respite Team from 1 to 10 which now includes dozens of years of experience in medical respite development/operations, housing, homeless services, health center operations and clinical care.
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While we’ve enjoyed opportunities for growth in the medical respite field over the last five years, we have entered a new season this year that promises difficult and painful challenges ahead. Policy changes, cultural shifts, and fluctuating resources are impacting all of our work.
As we are all adjusting our strategies and pathways to continue to do the work we are compelled to by our organizational and personal missions, what is not changing is the Council’s dedication to supporting you and your communities. We created NIMRC with the singular goal of expanding and sustaining high quality medical respite programs nationwide. That remains the purpose of NIMRC and the central work of the Council’s Medical Respite Team. We look forward to standing with you in this new season.
Together,
Julia Dobbins
Director of Medical Respite
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2025 William J. Mackey
National Medical Respite Award |
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Congratulations to the 2025 Willie J. Mackey Award winner, Jordan Wilhelms! Jordan serves as Central City Concern’s Director of Recuperative Care. He has worked in a spectrum of non-profit health and social service settings over two decades in Seattle, San Francisco, and Portland. Jordan has been the leader of CCC’s Recuperative Care Program since 2012, serving medical respite operations, offshoot services, and sub-programs in an evolving leadership capacity.
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| Jordan Wilhelms receiving the Willie J. Mackey Award from outgoing Respite Care Providers Network Chair, Laurie Nelson.
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Thank you to all who presented at, attended, or otherwise supported the 2025 Conference in Baltimore!
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Palliative Education and Care for the Homeless (PEACH) presented for the pre-Conference institute on end-of-life care and medical respite.
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| Julia Dobbins spoke at the NIMRC Reception, which was sponsored by United Health Foundation.
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The Conference program also included medical respite focused sessions at all breakout times, a networking breakfast, and a Learning Lab for developing medical respite programs.
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RCPN Steering Committee Update |
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The Respite Care Providers’ Network (RCPN) Steering Committee had its first convening to begin the 2025-2026 fiscal year. The Steering Committee welcomed Gargi Cooper (Lynn Community Health Center) as the new Chair and Miriah Nunnaley (Colorado Coalition for the Homeless) as Vice Chair. They also welcomed Carli Fullerton (San Francisco Department of Public Health) and Kristy Rose Anderson (Circle the City) as new members.
The Steering Committee would like to extend a thank you to Annie Nicol (Petaluma Health Center) and LaSonya Kelly (Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services), who recently completed their terms on the Committee.
The RCPN Steering Committee will continue to focus its efforts on activities outlined in the work plan and serve as a resource to the entire Respite Care Providers’ Network and NIMRC. Click here to learn more about the RCPN Steering Committee.
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August RCPN All Member Meeting
Wednesday, August 27th at 3 pm ET |
All Member Meetings provide an opportunity to join together with other medical respite program providers and administrators to discuss key issues affecting medical respite care. We will provide updates on NIMRC, resource, and policy issues. This will be followed by a short presentation and large group discussion on current issues affecting the field, where attendees have the opportunity to connect with each other, share experiences, and learn insights from other programs.
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Medical Respite Role-Specific Meetups |
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We are excited to continue RCPN Role Specific Meet-ups, an opportunity for medical respite program staff to engage and connect with others in similar roles across the country. Many medical respite programs are often the only program in their community, and it can feel challenging to have conversations with others who truly understand your day to day work. These meetups are held quarterly for the different program staff who are involved in medical respite programs.
Learn more and register for upcoming meetings here.
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| Call for Abstracts for HCH2026 |
The Council team is finalizing the conference theme and tracks for our 2026 national conference, slated for June 8-11 in Orlando. Stay tuned — we are aiming to open our call for abstracts next week!
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The United Health Foundation cohort met in Minneapolis, MN for an in-person summit in April.
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Circle the City is expanding its medical respite services to include a new building in the east valley of Maricopa County. They broke ground in May and are planning to open next year with 84 respite beds, as well as on-site medical and behavioral health services.
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The County of Santa Barbara proudly celebrates the one-year anniversary of two transformative interim housing projects, La Posada and Hope Village. Hope Village is comprised of 97 units, with 30 beds being dedicated to recuperative care. These beds have allowed clients to heal in a safe, supportive environment, ensuring they receive the medical attention needed to regain their health.
- In Redding, the Health Outreach for Everyone (HOPE) program’s medical respite served 133 people last year in hotels and in Hartman House, which is run by the Shasta Community Health Center and the nonprofit Pathways to Housing. Clients usually stay for two to three months and receive case management and weekly visits from a nurse.
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San Diego County’s Point in Time Count of homelessness showed a 2% drop in Escondido. Greg Anglea, CEO of Interfaith Community Services, said “New resources like Interfaith’s Escondido Family Shelter and our Turk Recuperative Care Center contributed to a 25% decrease in unsheltered homelessness in Escondido. In order to build on this progress and further reduce homelessness, we must continue this work in partnership, including non-profit, government, and private community members, all working together to provide pathways out of homelessness for our neighbors in need.”
- The Lancaster Planning Commission has approved a conditional use permit for a new 30-bed recuperative care facility. With the approval now secured, David Delaplane of Harbor Care Foundation indicated the new respite center will open this summer.
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San Bernardino County has received a conditional award letter for $38.7 million in state grant funding to support the Pacific Village Campus, an innovative project designed to meet the needs of people experiencing homelessness. This project, in partnership with county Community Development and Housing, is designed to create a “one-stop shop” for housing supports and services, including access to recuperative care, substance use disorder treatment and permanent supportive housing for San Bernardino County residents.
- In Sacramento, Yolo Cares has opened Joshua’s House Hospice, which is a hospice facility dedicated to serving terminally ill, unhoused individuals. The 15-bed home is designed to provide comfort, care and dignity in a peaceful setting.
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Health-related social services (HRSS) organizations can now connect and exchange health and HRSS information through California nonprofit health data network Manifest MedEx (MX) to help those experiencing health-related social needs and support California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM).
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City of Victorville officials reported that the city has experienced a 57% decrease in its unsheltered population from 2024. City leaders stated that the heart of their strategy is the Wellness Center, a facility that is a low-barrier, non-congregate emergency shelter offering interim housing, wraparound support services, recuperative care and a medical clinic.
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In Orange County, three local organizations are collaborating to more effectively connect people residing at a local recuperative care facility directly to permanent housing. Illumination Health + Home (formerly Illumination Foundation), a homeless services and recuperative care provider; CalOptima Health, a local Medi-Cal (Medicaid) managed care plan; and the Orange County Health Care Agency, a local health jurisdiction, are partnering to create a comprehensive continuum of health and social services for their clients with the highest need or highest risk.
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In West Palm Beach, a new partnership between Tenet Health and the Salvation Army has created 24 medical respite beds at the Salvation Army’s Center of Hope. “We offer additional services like case management, life skills, financial literacy, recreational activities, so when they’re here, they get a holistic, client-centered approach therapy as well,” said Seneica Blair Hall, the director of program services for the Salvation Army in Palm Beach County.
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- In 2024, Kaiser Permanente invested over $38 million to improve the health of Hawaii’s people. Medical respite providers across Hawai‘i are participating in a Kaiser Permanente-funded cohort to increase medical respite beds and services.
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The Hawai’i Community Foundation is moving forward to rebuild the Ka Hale A Ke Ola Homeless Resource Center in Lahaina following the 2023 fire. Through its Maui Strong Fund, the Foundation has committed up to $8 million toward the project. The center previously provided multiple vital services to people experiencing homelessness, including medical respite.
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HOPE Services Hawaiʻi recently celebrated the blessing and grand opening of Kahua Kahe Mālie Integrated Care Hub (ICH), a new medical respite and behavioral health care facility in Ainaloa. Kahua Kahe Mālie offers medical respite and wraparound services, including wound care, chronic disease management, medication support, and behavioral health care in a stable and supportive environment. The facility features 24/7 housing staff, mental health professionals, case managers, and an on-call APRN prescriber.
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Shauna Hale and Mike Tyson of Take Action Today hosted a town hall at West Frankfort City Hall in June. Organizers used the event to publicly launch a proposed countywide coalition focused on crisis housing, medical respite care and supportive services.
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In April, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg announced a $1.2 billion budget proposal. Allocations for affordable housing and homelessness will go toward the goal of 15,000 more housing units and funding for a medical respite facility for the community care campus.
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Family Health Centers, which currently has a hotel-based respite program in Louisville, is finalizing plans to build a community care campus that will provide shelter, medical care and other centralized services. A meeting is scheduled soon to finalize the location of the respite facility on the Community Care Campus. They hope to break ground on the new facility by the end of this year.
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Barnstable County has announced allocations for $40 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds. These funds will be allocated for prioritizing shelter and medical respite for people experiencing homelessness, gap funding for affordable housing, and workforce housing initiatives.
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The Human Resources Development Council's Homeward Point homeless shelter is nearing its completion and is set to open in August in Bozeman. The new shelter will include an onsite medical clinic and a medical respite suite for those recovering from recent surgeries.
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Las Vegas’ Recuperative Care Center will temporarily move to a new location while construction begins for their new facility. They will continue to provide the same medical respite services, including 24-hour nursing, IV infusions for wound care, and hospice, while in the new temporary location. The new building is expected to be finished in 2027 and have around 80 beds.
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This article shares an experience of a man who received medical respite care from The Gateway Center in Albuquerque, a respite program who is currently in a five-year pilot. This article shares more information about the respite program and its history.
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New York is opening 24 new medical respite beds in partnership with NYC Health + Hospitals. People experiencing homelessness can use beds for up to 90 days at a time. They will also receive housing case management. In all, the beds are expected to help 100 people per year recover from their ailments.
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In Eugene, Everyone Village will add a ten-bed recuperative care wing and an onsite clinic to its current tiny home village, thanks to a new partnership with PeaceHealth.
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Hallworth House opened in 2023 in Providence and has been providing life-changing medical respite services ever since. The former skilled nursing facility has been converted to 30 single occupancy respite beds and has been collecting comprehensive data on reductions in hospital length of stay and readmissions. Rhode Island’s Medicaid office has requested a 1115 waiver, and the request is pending.
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Rock band Metallica has chosen local Nashville nonprofit organizations to receive grants to support the community. Among the recipients are Room in the Inn, which hosts many programs including Guest House & Recuperative Care. The $40,000 will be used to continue providing respite for medically fragile people experiencing homelessness who are recovering from recent hospitalization, illness, or injury.
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In April, five Utah nonprofit organizations were the beneficiaries of CommonSpirit Health Equity Advancement grants totaling $208,000 that will assist them in serving vulnerable populations. Among the recipients are The INN Between, which provides medical respite and end-of-life care to vulnerable people experiencing homelessness, ensuring no one has to suffer or die on the streets.
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In Salt Lake City, The INN Between provides medical respite and end of life care for people experiencing homelessness, and just celebrated 10 years of being a place of hope, healing and dignity. The Inn Between is launching a fundraiser to support an expansion from 63 beds to 80 beds, as well as renovating nine bathrooms and ensuring that the building is up to code. Individuals wishing to donate can visit www.tibhospice.org/donate
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At the start of 2025, Westminster United Church of Christ in Spokane created Healing Hearts Respite Center featuring 30 respite beds for people referred by Providence Community Clinic. Jewels Helping Hands, a local sheltering organization who wanted to launch a pilot medical respite program, has been a crucial partner in this process.
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Pierce County Human Services is seeking qualified providers to operate a Temporary Medical Respite Program in Parkland. The county is prepared to offer a fully furnished facility with 16 private bedrooms for immediate use.
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Since opening in November 2024, Bellingham’s The Way Station has provided hygiene services, health care, and medical respite for people experiencing homelessness to over 1,000 people. Congratulations!
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Pam Schwartz, the executive director of Community Health Programs & Charitable Contributions for Kaiser Permanente, spoke in an interview about NIMRC’s certification program and the need for standardization in respite care.
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CommonSpirit Health Mountain Region is accepting applications for its annual Community Health Improvement grants, formerly known as Health Equity and Advancement Fund grants. Last year 33 organizations received grants, which supported many initiatives including providing medical respite care for people experiencing homelessness. The grant application period opened on July 14 and will close on September 12. Information can be found at Health Equity & Advancement Fund | CommonSpirit Health .
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If you have a news story recognizing a medical respite care program, please share it with us by emailing Beau at bantonelis@nhchc.org.
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The Respite Care Providers’ Network is a membership network of the National Health Care for the Homeless Council (NHCHC). The mission of the RCPN is to improve the health status of individuals who are homeless by supporting programs that provide medical respite care (also known as recuperative care) and related services. Not already a member? Join us!
The National Institute for Medical Respite Care (NIMRC) is a special program of the National Health Care for the Homeless Council launched on July 15, 2020. The primary focus of NIMRC is expanding medical respite care programs in the U.S. Through NIMRC, we advance best practices, deliver expert consulting services, and disseminate state-of-field knowledge in medical respite care.
Does your program need technical assistance? Please contact us to request a TA meeting to help address your program’s needs! Additional resources for medical respite/recuperative care can be found here.
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Copyright © 2025 National Health Care for the Homeless Council, Inc.
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