Updated Resource: Potential Skills and Staffing of Medical Respite Care Programs
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The revised Potential Skills and Staffing of Medical Respite Care Programs is now published and available on the website. This resource was originally published in 2023 and updated in 2025 to reflect changes made to the Models of Medical Respite Care and to ensure relevance to the field.
This document is a guide to the various skills and staffing needed to implement the Models of Medical Respite Care. This includes the distinct type and intensity of clinical services available in each medical respite care setting, offered through onsite services and/or community partnerships.
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New Resource: Medical Respite Staff Training Recommendations
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Hello fellow RCPN members,
My name is Gargi Cooper, and I am a trained Family Nurse Practitioner who has been working in the field of homeless health care for over twenty years.
I began my career at Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program twenty-three years ago, and worked there for eleven years. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of building programming to support unsheltered clients in Lynn, Mass. and have been leading initiatives at Lynn Community Health Center for the past twelve years.
Our small but mighty team now operates a 20-bed Recuperative Care Center, engages in community outreach with our street medicine team, and recently launched a mobile van.
I am honored to serve as your newly appointed Chair of the Respite Care Providers’ Network Steering Committee.
I’ve just returned from Nashville Tennessee, where our committee spent two days meeting in person to reconnect and collaborate on our goals for the coming year.
In the midst of the burnout and stress so many of us face, I am grateful that the National Healthcare for the Homeless Council prioritized this time together.
That solidarity—listening to and supporting one another—is essential for the survival of our programs and, ultimately, for the clients we serve.
The Respite Care Providers Network has been invaluable to me over the years, offering expertise, strategies, innovative ideas, and resources from peers who truly understand this work. Although I’ve been a member for many years, I became more deeply involved when I joined the steering committee.
Our committee is made up of innovative thought leaders from across disciplines, representing all aspects of respite programming nationwide. This year, our goals include:
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Creating new resources for respite and recuperative programs at every stage of development
- Collaborating with external agencies—hospitals, insurers, and stakeholders—to identify and secure sustainable funding
- Elevating our collective voice to ensure that the Council’s work is recognized as the gold standard for medical respite and recuperative care
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We are also eager to grow our membership, especially as so many new programs begin exploring how to build respite services in their communities.
I look forward to working alongside you all to advance this important work.
Warmly,
Gargi Cooper
Chair, Respite Care Providers Network Steering Committee
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The RCPN Steering Committee in Nashville for governing membership.
Gargi, the Chair and writer of this quarter’s letter to members, is the fifth person in from the far right.
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Respite Kudos + Accomplishments |
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Christ House in Washington, DC |
Christ House is a 24/7 medical respite facility in Washington, DC, and we are celebrating our 40th anniversary of providing compassionate and comprehensive care to people experiencing homelessness.
We opened the doors of Christ House to our first patient on Christmas Eve of 1985, and since then, we have welcomed over ten thousand people. Our holistic services include:
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| A picture of Christ House Medical Respite in Washington, DC
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- safe place to rest and heal
- 24/7 medical care from a skilled team of physicians and nursing staff
- healthy meals and snacks prepared with fresh and seasonal produce
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in-house case management services to connect patients with further resources
- transportation to surgeries and specialized appointments
- optional spiritual programming
- activities like art, yoga, improv classes and visits with service animals to connect our patients to things that bring them joy
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Our long-term residential facility, Kairos House, boasts a 100% sobriety rate among Kairos Members, and their volunteer work and presence at Christ House is an invaluable resource to our community.
We are so grateful for the support that allows us to continue our work.
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| picture of care being provided in respite
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This year, The INN Between proudly celebrates 10 years of providing medical respite and end-of-life care for individuals experiencing homelessness in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Since opening our doors in 2015, we have provided dignity in death for 167 individuals and medical respite to more than 1,000 vulnerable community members—offering a safe place for healing, dignity, and compassion during life’s most challenging moments.
As we mark this milestone, we are deeply grateful to our partners, volunteers, and supporters who have made The INN Between a beacon of hope and humanity for the past decade—and for years to come.
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| The INN Between’s staff at their 10-year anniversary party in August.
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The Victorville Wellness Center in Victorville, CA |
In August, The Governor’s Office visited the Victorville Wellness Center, San Bernardino County’s first non-congregate shelter campus developed through the State’s Homekey initiative.
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The Center offers 170 interim housing beds, including family units, recuperative care, animal care, supportive services, and an onsite medical clinic.
During the visit, the City of Victorville was commended for its leadership in delivering this transformative Homekey project and for achieving a 57% reduction in unsheltered homelessness, one of the most significant declines in the region.
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| Image of visitors from The Governor’s Office and staff at the Victorville Wellness Center in Victorville, CA
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Through the City’s leadership, and with Symba Center as its lead service provider, Victorville has built a model that demonstrates the power of public-private collaboration: a client-centered, whole-person approach that addresses social determinants of health through life-domain case planning, housing navigation, and wraparound supportive services.
Also highlighted were the innovative strategies including recuperative care, short-term post-hospitalization support, integration with Care Court, and a balanced approach to street-level triage, tools that not only meet people where they are but also reduce strain on hospitals and emergency responders while creating lasting housing solutions through appropriate levels of care.
Further, these efforts underscore the importance of sustaining and building upon this progress to meet the ongoing and evolving needs of the community.
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National Healthcare & Housing Advisors (NHHA) gave Julia Gaines, NHCHC's Senior Medical Respite Manager for the state of California, a sneak peek of their spacious 80-bed recuperative care facility opening in Sacramento’s Arden neighborhood in October.
A former medical facility, this gated campus includes an enormous outdoor recreational space, semi-private client rooms, full ADA accessibility, and a giant light-filled community space for Whole Person Care Clinic, the service provider, to hold Day Habilitation groups.
NHHA’s Community Care Campus offers an integrated system designed to link the local community to services that aim to meet their needs, from physical and mental health to supportive housing.
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Julia Gaines (center) with (from left) NHHA’s Brennan Campbell, Terry Campbell, Paul Leon and Dr. Clayton Chau enjoying the Sacramento campus’s outdoor space. Photo courtesy of NHHA
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Medical Respite Programs May Apply for NIMRC Certification Between Nov. 10-24 |
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The next application window for our voluntary certification process for recuperative and medical respite care programs will open Nov. 10 at 12 pm CT. Programs will have until 12 pm CT on Nov. 24 to submit an interest form.
This certification process was carefully developed through the work of the National Institute for Medical Respite Care, a special program of the National Health Care for the Homeless Council. Our goal was to create a supportive and collaborative process that elevates and celebrates the impactful work of outstanding programs nationwide.
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Is your program ready to apply? |
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RCPN All-Member Meeting
November 19th, 2025 | 2-3pm Central
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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. This meeting will include a program panel sharing ways programs provide 24/7 staffing and support for program participants.
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Nominations will open in January 2026 for the Willie J. Mackey Medical Respite Award and to apply to join the RCPN Steering Committee! |
RCPN Steering Committee: Nominees may be medical respite staff, program administrators, funders, or community partners directly connected with medical respite care in their community.
We are especially interested in nominees with medical respite experience in Medicaid non-expansion states and individuals with lived experience of homelessness.
Reach out to Caitlin or Sam with questions and learn more about nominations here.
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Willie J. Mackey National Medical Respite Award |
The Mackey Award recognizes an individual who has made a profound impact on their community through the delivery or advancement of medical respite care.
The award is named in honor of Willie J. Mackey, a dedicated member of the RCPN Steering Committee and a fierce advocate for medical respite care.
Learn more about the award here.
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January 29th, 2026 | 12-4pm Central
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Outcomes and data collection in medical respite can be a valuable resource to help programs with quality improvement and demonstrating impact to their communities. However, because of the robust services and supports programs provide, identifying and tracking these outcomes can feel overwhelming. Once data tracking is in place, programs are challenged with determining how to best use the available data to tell the story of medical respite and the clients they serve.
This symposium will provide an opportunity to deep dive into data and outcomes in medical respite care, including conversations on determining what data is meaningful to your program, how to collect that data, and how to effectively and accurately use the data to support your program's goals. Within the 4-hour symposium structure, attendees will have an opportunity for didactic and collaborative learning, as well as time to practice and apply concepts presented.
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RCPN Role Meet-Ups are continuing in 2026! |
Role Meet-Ups are 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 enlightening to have conversations with others who truly understand your day to day work.
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Thursday, January 22nd, 2026 | 2pm Central
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| Thursday, February 19th, 2026 | 2:30pm Central
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The Catholic Community Services of Southern Arizona is celebrating the one-year anniversary of their medical respite center, Casa de Respiro. As the only medical respite center in southern Arizona, it has already made a significant impact and has helped nearly 200 people stabilize their health by providing a place to stay and recover from illness or injury.
- In Phoenix, St. Vincent de Paul and the Ozanam Manor have partnered to provide medical recuperative care and have had success in connecting veterans to services during their respite stay.
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The Recuperative Care Program at St. Bernards Medical Center celebrated its first anniversary in September. The program has a 4-bed unit at the Crisis Stabilization Unit in Jonesboro and offers recuperative care to people experiencing homelessness.
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In Los Angeles, the Restorative Care Village provides free short-term housing for patients discharged from the hospital to continue their recovery while gaining access to stabilizing and housing resources. The program is a county partnership between Los Angeles General Medical Center and the Housing for Health effort within the LA County Department of Health Services.
- Harbor Care in Los Angeles is a 35-bed medical respite program that recently completed the NIMRC certification program. More on this program is available here.
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Safety Net Connect, a leading provider of advanced virtual care solutions, and the National Institute for Medical Respite Care, a special program of the National Health Care for the Homeless Council, will expand their Recup Connect pilot program to four Los Angeles-based CommonSpirit Health hospitals. The pilot, which was designed to improve hospital discharge coordination by connecting acute care hospitals with recuperative care providers in the local geographic area, is currently used at seven other hospitals and care providers across LA County.
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For eight years, Denver Health hospital system has been working on alternatives to discharging patients experiencing homelessness to the streets. The hospital rents 20 beds in the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless recuperative care center, and since 2023 more than 600 patients have been discharged there instead of to the streets.
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The Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless honored the TABLE, a group of volunteers that advocate for recuperative care solutions in Olmsted County with the “Northern Light Award at its annual conference in October.
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In July, Kansas City’s City Council approved Ordinance 250582, authorizing a $7.1 million investment with Care Beyond the Boulevard to support the development of a non-congregate low-barrier shelter, which will include medical respite services.
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Las Vegas officials broke ground in August on an expansion to the city’s Recuperative Care Center for sick and injured members of Las Vegas’ 7,900-person unhoused population. The new center is an expansion of their existing facility and will more than double the number of medical respite beds.
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The Rescue Mission of Trenton has opened its medical respite center, a facility designed to provide temporary care for people experiencing homelessness who have been recently discharged from a hospital. The facility currently operates with four beds and has a licensed practical nurse and a case manager on staff.
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Research led by the University at Buffalo School of Nursing shows that After unhoused people leave the hospital, they achieve the best outcomes when leaders and frontline staff at health and social service agencies work together to provide care. the study examines how medical respite programs facilitate collaboration to deliver the best care for these patients.
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Asheville’s Haywood Street Respite received funding from Buncombe County via American Rescue Plan Act dollars and is planning an addition to their building, which will increase their number of medical respite beds to 25 and will also include an elevator, new offices, bedrooms, and common areas.
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Stepping Stones Ministries in Bismarck held an open house in September to show their new space to area providers and partners, and plans to begin taking medical respite referrals in October.
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A new medical respite facility in Oklahoma City is intended to care for people who are discharged from the hospital but are still too sick for the city’s shelters. Bobbi Six will act as the senior director of medical respite for City Care, one of Oklahoma City’s longtime service providers for individuals experiencing homelessness. City Care plans to open a 40-room medical respite facility in 2027.
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In Eugene, Everyone Village opened ten additional tiny home cottages in June that will provide medical respite care and access to a new onsite clinic, thanks to a new partnership with PeaceHealth.
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Advocacy and relationship building in Charleston is underway to open what would be the second medical respite program in the state. Kudos to those doing this important work!
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In Rapid City, The Cornerstone Rescue Mission and Monument Health have partnered to open a new medical respite care center, and the open house will be held in October.
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Salt Lake City’s The INN Between, which provides hospice, medical respite and post-hospitalization services to people experiencing homelessness, is working to expand from 63 to 80 beds.
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This year’s Point in Time Count of people experiencing homelessness showed a 42% increase in homeless Utahns 64 and older on a single night compared to the year before. The INN Between is working to meet this need and we wish them all the best.
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Vermont’s point-in-time count was released in July and shows an increase in unsheltered homelessness and an increase in older adults experiencing homelessness. Lamoille Valley Housing and Homeless Coalition operates a three-bed medical respite program and has seen an increase in older adults served as well. Their PIT count is available here.
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In October, the Low Income Housing Institute announced the completion of the acquisition of a Tacoma motel. 30 units will be used for short-term medical respite, and Community Health Care will be the on-site healthcare provider to provide health, dental, and behavioral health services.
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Bellingham’s new 16-bed respite center accepted its first round of clients in June. It is a nonprofit collaboration between the Opportunity Council, Unity Care Northwest — UCNW and PeaceHealth along with support from Whatcom County. Congratulations!
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Kaiser Permanente has provided grants to over 30 medical respite programs, and is now providing support to NIMRC’s certification program. “We’re excited about the popularity of certification because we believe it will help bring more high-quality care to people without housing. And, as more programs get certified, they’ll learn from each other, further improving care.”
- Learn more about NIMRC certification here.
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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.
Is your medical respite program profile in the NIMRC directory up to date? Complete this program profile form to update your information and view the directory here https://nhchc.org/medical-respite/directory/.
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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