Photograph by Graywalls through Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
The topic of homelessness has remained comparatively unexplored by well being reporters, regardless of proof that housing has an enormous influence on health.
An alarming variety of folks, notably older adults and people from marginalized communities, are on the precipice of dropping their properties or have already fallen sufferer to this disaster. This pattern is a major contributing issue to burgeoning homelessness throughout the U.S.
Journalists play an important position in addressing this subject by not solely reporting on the issue of homelessness itself however by centering of their narratives the lived experiences of the folks and communities immediately impacted.
AHCJ’s fall summit, “Homelessness and Health Care,” is designed to assist reporters inform these tales extra successfully with the newest analysis, present audiences with a deeper understanding of what it’s actually wish to expertise homelessness, and facilitate new connections.
The day-and-a-half event will happen Nov. 2-3 in Oakland, Calif., on the Waterfront Resort – JDV by Hyatt. Registration closes Oct. 19.
For greater than a decade, California has had the biggest homeless inhabitants within the U.S. As of 2022, a staggering 30% of all folks within the U.S. experiencing homelessness have been residing in California, together with half of all people who find themselves unsheltered, as reported by the Public Coverage Institute of California.
The summit’s keynote speaker is Margot Kushel, M.D., who led the landmark California Statewide Study on People Experiencing Homelessness — the biggest consultant examine of homelessness in many years, which was launched earlier this yr. Kushel will speak about among the deeper findings of the examine and their implications for options.
Sacramento’s Mayor Darrell Steinberg, one other featured speaker, will speak concerning the Psychological Well being Companies Act — which he co-authored to create funding for psychological well being companies within the state — and why billions raised by that measure and different coverage adjustments haven’t eliminated all obstacles to fixing the issue of too many individuals with psychological sickness residing on the streets.
Mark Horvath, founding father of the group Invisible People, will speak about centering the experiences of people who find themselves homeless in reporting on homelessness.
Among the many different connections between homelessness and well being that shall be explored as a part of the program are:
- The efforts of “avenue groups” addressing essential well being wants and appearing as bridges to sustained care.
- Reporting on homelessness with sensitivity, together with how and when to use trauma-informed methods.
- Approaches to addressing the psychological and behavioral well being wants of these experiencing homelessness.
- Housing as a essential social determinant of well being, what Houston did to get two-thirds of its homeless inhabitants into housing, and what goes into transitioning folks into everlasting housing.
The California Well being Care Basis is the host of the occasion. The Commonwealth Fund and the Robert Wooden Johnson Basis even have supplied assist for the summit.
