From an encampment to a signed lease in 90 days
A 54-year-old living unsheltered for four years with schizophrenia and untreated hepatitis C moved from a riverbed encampment to a permanent supportive housing unit — with his medications, his cat, and his ID.
Member
James
Who we help
Individuals and Families Experiencing Homelessness
Location
San Diego County, CA
Timeframe
90-day field engagement
What changed
The outcome for James
Day 89
Move-in date
From first field contact.
0
ED visits in 6 months
Down from 11 in the prior 6 months.
SVR12
Hepatitis C cured
Sustained virologic response achieved.
12/12
LAI injections on schedule
Delivered at home.
Where things started
The situation.
James had been camped along a riverbed for four winters. Prior housing offers fell through when paperwork demanded an ID he didn't have or a bank account he couldn't open.
“They came to me until I trusted them enough to come to them. Nobody had ever done that before.”
The hard part
What stood in the way.
- 1
Untreated schizophrenia with intermittent medication access via the ED.
- 2
Active hepatitis C, never treated.
- 3
No ID, no Social Security card, no active Medi-Cal.
- 4
Deep distrust of shelters after a prior assault.
Our approach
How we built the plan.
Step 1
Field-based clinical team visiting the encampment weekly, not asking him to come to a clinic.
Step 2
Housing-first: secure the unit while stabilizing everything else in parallel.
Step 3
Bring the pharmacy, the ID clinic, and the hep C treatment to him.
The support
What we actually did.
- 01
Weeks 1–3 — Trust + benefits
Weekly field visits; Medi-Cal reactivated; ID replacement filed; long-acting injectable antipsychotic started curbside.
- 02
Weeks 4–8 — Housing match
Housing Deposit + Housing Tenancy Sustaining Services applied to a permanent supportive unit; pet accommodation negotiated.
- 03
Weeks 9–12 — Move-in + treatment
Move-in coordinated; furniture and starter kit provided; hep C direct-acting antiviral treatment initiated.
Behind the scenes
The team and services on this case.
You could be next
Tell us what's going on — we'll take it from there.
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