No safe place to stay tonight?

Program overview

California’s Individuals and Families Experiencing Homelessness Population of Focus provides Enhanced Care Management to eligible Medi-Cal managed care members who lack stable housing or are facing certain unsafe or temporary living situations. Eligibility rules differ for adults and for families, children, and youth. Atlas provides community-based care management and works with health plans, medical and behavioral health providers, shelters, housing organizations, county agencies, schools, and other community partners to coordinate care and referrals. Enhanced Care Management can help connect health care with housing-related and social resources, but it does not guarantee housing or replace medical, behavioral health, or housing providers.

Formal eligibility criteria

• Adults age 21 and older who are enrolled in a Medi-Cal Managed Care Plan and are experiencing homelessness, including living without a fixed and adequate nighttime residence, in a place not designed for sleeping, in a shelter or transitional setting, exiting an institution into homelessness, facing loss of housing within 30 days, or fleeing domestic violence or other dangerous conditions related to violence.
• An eligible adult must also have at least one complex physical, behavioral, or developmental need that is difficult to self-manage and for which care coordination would likely improve health or reduce avoidable high-cost service use, or the member must be authorized for Transitional Rent.
• Pregnant members and members within 12 months postpartum who are experiencing homelessness are considered to meet the adult complex physical, behavioral, or developmental need criterion.
• Families with a member under age 21 and unaccompanied children or youth may qualify when experiencing homelessness or certain unstable living arrangements, including couch surfing because of housing loss or economic hardship, staying in a motel or campground because adequate alternatives are unavailable, living in an emergency or transitional shelter, or remaining in a hospital without a safe discharge destination. They do not need to meet the additional adult complex-need criterion.
• Enhanced Care Management is voluntary. Members and families may self-refer, while final eligibility, authorization, enrollment, and provider assignment are determined through the applicable Medi-Cal managed care plan.