Administration to set sights on homelessness as a health issue
The Accelerator is meant to help states unlock resources to reduce homelessness by addressing health-related social needs.
Photo: Richard Newstead/Getty Images
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have selected eight states, along with Washington, D.C., to participate in a new federal initiative known as the Housing and Services Partnership Accelerator, which is meant to help strengthen partnerships across housing, disability, aging and health sectors; access available federal programs and resources; and maximize federal flexibilities to help keep people healthy.
The Accelerator is intended to help the states unlock resources to reduce homelessness by addressing health-related social needs, such as housing-related services.
The program provides technical assistance to states implementing HHS' recently issued guidance regarding clinically appropriate and evidence-based services that can be covered under Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). For example, states can support healthcare access through Medicaid section 1115 demonstrations that provide services like housing transition services and case management that help people avoid lease violation.
In addition, states can provide services that connect people to HUD housing programs by covering short-term housing costs, like security deposits and rental application fees, for specific transitions.
WHAT'S THE IMPACT?
The Accelerator was announced by HHS and HUD in November 2023 as a competitive technical assistance opportunity for states. States with approved federal Medicaid section 1115 demonstrations or section 1915(i) state plan amendments covering housing-related support services for people experiencing homelessness (when clinically appropriate) were eligible to apply.
As part of their Accelerator application, states were asked to form collaborative teams comprised of partners from their health, housing, aging and disability sectors, and then outline the status of their implementation of Medicaid-covered housing-related services and supports, their goals under the Accelerator, and areas in which technical assistance was needed.
HHS and HUD said they received an "overwhelming" response, with applications from 15 eligible states and Washington D.C. A rigorous review and scoring process, including interviews with state teams, led to the selection of Arizona, California, Washington D.C., Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina and Washington.
Over the next 12 months, HUD and HHS will provide these eight states (and D.C.) with "intensive" federal technical assistance, and opportunities for state peer-to-peer exchange to support their implementation of clinically-indicated housing-related services and supports under their Medicaid programs for people with complex health needs experiencing homelessness.
This includes people with disabilities, older adults, people with mental health disorders, people with substance use disorders and people with other chronic medical conditions.
By receiving this federal technical assistance, HHS said these states can improve coordination and delivery of services like navigation services, ongoing individualized case management, one-time transition assistance and home modifications that can help people obtain and maintain stable housing.
THE LARGER TREND
Last week, HUD announced $3.16 billion to fund 7,000 housing and services projects for people experiencing homelessness – the largest expansion yet of annual federal funding provided through HUD's Continuum of Care program.
In November 2023, HHS, through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, published guidance and a framework clarifying the flexibilities available to states under their Medicaid section 1115 demonstrations or 1915(i) state plan amendments to cover services to help meet eligible enrollees' health related social needs like housing and nutrition, and to receive federal matching funds for their Medicaid expenditures on those services when clinically indicated.
The Accelerator will provide tailored support to the selected states that are early adopters of these flexibilities.
States not selected to participate in the Accelerator may apply to participate in a related technical assistance opportunity, the National Academy for State Health Policy's Health and Housing Institute, funded by HHS through the Health Resources and Services Administration. Now in its third year, the HHI also supports states pursuing cross-agency and federal-state-local strategies to increase access to safe, affordable housing and wrap-around services and supports for people experiencing homelessness or housing instability. Applications for the HHI are due on Wednesday.
Jeff Lagasse is editor of Healthcare Finance News.
Email: jlagasse@himss.org
Healthcare Finance News is a HIMSS Media publication.
