Skid Row demonstration project: Improving access to health care for homeless families in Skid Row

According to a recent homeless count conducted by the Los Angeles Housing Services Authority (LAHSA) in 2007, on any given night, there are approximately 40,144 homeless individuals in the City of Los Angeles, and approximately 5,131 homeless individuals in “Skid Row.” This study also revealed that approximately 83% of those identified as homeless were unsheltered, sleeping in the streets, alleys, autos, encampments, overpasses, doorways, tents, uncovered garages, sheds, and the like. More alarming is that approximately 25%of those identified were found to be homeless with family.

In January 2005, a partnership between the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services, the Department of Mental Health, the Department of Children and Family Services, and LAHSA was formed in efforts to connect homeless families in Skid Row with available benefits. The Department of Public Health was subsequently incorporated into this team to assist in identifying and linking families to health care services and to assure the safety of such families. This unique partnership is recognized as the Skid Row Demonstration Project and from this project the Skid Row Assessment Team was formed to assist homeless families identified in Skid Row.

This presentation will focus on the role of the Public Health Nurse as a member of the Skid Row Assessment Team and will discuss challenges that homeless families encounter as they attempt to access health care services. The presenter will address the benefits of working in a multidisciplinary/multi-departmental team to meet the needs of homeless families and will also present the benefits of partnering and collaborating with community based organizations to maximize the use of existing resources in order to help homeless families access health care services.