Role of Homelessness and Supportive Housing in Healthcare Disparities among Adults in Medicaid

There is ample evidence that homelessness is associated with inadequate access to essential health services and that African American, Hispanic/Latinx, and rural populations are at high risk for homelessness or its consequences. However, there is insufficient knowledge about gaps in use of specific health services among homeless adults, whether such gaps are greater among minority and rural populations, and the potential of permanent supportive housing (PSH) programs to mitigate these gaps. This study aims to: 1) quantify the contribution of homelessness to gaps in essential health services use among Medicaid beneficiaries by race/ethnicity and rural residential status; 2) evaluate the extent to which the gaps are mitigated by placement in PSH programs; and 3) identify Medicaid and PSH policy and programmatic strategies for improving access to essential health services and reducing associated racial/ethnic and rural disparities. The project is being led by investigators from the Center for State Health Policy in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health and Monarch Housing Associates. This work is supported by a grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD/NIH) (R01).