News

Margot Kushel, MD, director of the University of California, San Francisco Center for Vulnerable Populations, shared her concern that the coronavirus outbreak will be dangerous in other ways for the homeless even if they don’t get sick. “My fear,” she said, “is that this will be used as another way to further stigmatize an already stigmatized and challenged population.”

Margot Kushel, MD, director of the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, discussed the economic forces driving homelessness along with how increasing the supply of extremely low-income housing could prevent it. “The vast majority of people who become homeless could be easily housed if there were housing that they could afford on their income."

Margot Kushel, MD, director of the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, was interviewed about Project Home and how more people than ever before are “aging into homelessness.” Right now, more than half of the Bay Area homeless population is over age 50.

A guest column by Margot Kushel, MD, director of the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, and Kevin Prindiville, JD, looks at the rise in homelessness among people older than 50: “With rising housing costs, fewer pensions, and a fraying safety net, many older adults are one crisis away from losing the roof over their head.”

This landmark gift for the first-of-its-kind initiative aims to decrease homelessness by rigorously examining and evaluating what is known about homelessness and answering unresolved questions about effective intervention strategies. The initiative will work to translate policies into action.

Marc and Lynne Benioff’s donation will create first-of-its-kind initiative to research causes of homelessness and identify evidence-based solutions.