New Program Helps Homeless Patients Secure Permanent Housing

Working with the Milwaukee Health Care Partnership, Froedtert Hospital became the first hospital in Milwaukee to implement the Housing is Health pilot program. Housing is Health targets homeless patients residing in Milwaukee County who have been admitted to the hospital and identified by a hospital social worker as meeting the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s “literally homeless” definition, meaning:

• Has a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not meant for human habitation
• Is living in a publicly or privately operated shelter designated to provide temporary living arrangements (including congregate shelters, transitional housing and hotels/motels paid for by charitable organizations or by federal, state and local government programs), or
• Is exiting an institution where he/she has resided for 90 days or less and who resided in an emergency shelter or place not meant for human habitation immediately before entering that institution.
  

Working closely with the Milwaukee County Housing Division (MCHD), Froedtert Health collaborates with other health system members of the Milwaukee Health Care Partnership to provide a two-year housing navigation pilot program. A dedicated MCHD housing navigator works directly with the hospital social workers to assess patients’ short- and long-term housing needs, identify housing options and facilitate temporary to permanent housing placements. The MCHD navigator is a valuable support and resource to assist our patients until they are housing stable.