Health Care for the Homeless

2007 Advocacy Priorities

Health Care for the Homeless provides health-related services, education and advocacy to reduce the incidence and burden of homelessness in Maryland.  Central to this mission is a commitment to advocacy with and on behalf of people without homes and those at risk of homelessness.  See the HCH 2006-2010 Advocacy Agenda for the full scope of the agency’s ongoing advocacy work.  Based on that agenda, HCH has prioritized the following items for 2007.  These priorities are subject to change and ongoing evaluation in consideration of constantly evolving external factors. 

1. Expand health insurance coverage:  HCH will continue to participate in public debate toward improved health care systems and universal health care coverage. Seizing upon the momentum of the Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative, proposed state-level insurance expansions, and increased public attention on prescription drug needs and health insurance reform, HCH will ensure that the medical, mental health, and addiction treatment needs of people experiencing homelessness are included in the debate.  While we recognize the importance of strengthening community health centers, HCH believes the best way to secure the infrastructure of health centers is to ensure their ability to bill for the clients they serve.  Nationally, HCH will work through the National Health Care for the Homeless Council toward a system of universal health care made possible through a “single payer” financing mechanism.

2. Increase availability of affordable housing:  HCH will work on local, state and national levels toward public policies that increase the availability of housing affordable for low-income people. Specifically, HCH will pursue this goal through collaboration with Baltimore Homeless Services and participation in the State Interagency Council on Homelessness, the National Health Care for the Homeless Council, the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Campaign, and through agency efforts to improve access to public housing and the Housing Choice Voucher program in Baltimore.   

3. Ensure access to more appropriate incomes:  HCH will work on the state level to ensure that that total benefit levels for families and individuals better approach the minimum living level, and on the state and national levels to improve access to Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for people experiencing homelessness.  HCH also recognizes the importance of living wages and broader supportive services for low-wage workers and will support reform of minimum wages and oppose regressive taxes through advocacy at state and federal levels.

4. Ensure ongoing access to needed services:  HCH will work to ensure continued state support of our services and of the capital campaign necessary to move to a new and larger facility on the near-east side of downtown Baltimore.  We will also work in partnership with others to ensure that people experiencing homelessness have access to appropriate services in accessible locations by opposing ordinances that prohibit the location of addiction treatment and other supportive services and resisting efforts to criminalize the experience of homelessness.  Nationally, we will work to ensure continued funding for the federal Health Care for the Homeless Program as part of the Consolidated Health Centers Account.

5. Support increased resources for re-integration and re-entry:  HCH will promote policies capable of preventing and ending homelessness among ex-offenders. HCH will work in partnership with others to broaden the array of services, adequate planning, and resources for persons leaving hospitals, jails, prisons, nursing facilities, foster care, or other public institutions. HCH will support policy changes that reduce barriers to successful reintegration into community living. 

For additional information on Health Care for the Homeless or its 2007 Advocacy Priorities, please contact Kevin Lindamood at 410/837-5533 x303.