Resource Center

Dr. Kushel shares compelling insights from her three decades of clinical practice and research, revealing how the lack of affordable housing creates impossible situations for healthcare providers trying to treat patients experiencing homelessness. From managing diabetes in a tent to storing insulin without refrigeration, she illustrates why "there is no medicine as powerful as housing."

New commentary from BHHI faculty Dr. Maria Raven, published in JAMA Network Open, examines what recent findings on VA mobile medical units (MMUs) reveal about outreach, healthcare use, and evaluation in care for veterans experiencing homelessness.

Housing First—especially permanent supportive housing for people with complex needs—helps people stay housed and reduces reliance on emergency systems. BHHI Director Dr. Margot Kushel discusses the potential fallout of cutting back on these proven approaches with the Guardian.

Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable deaths worldwide. Despite efforts by many countries to reduce the impact of tobacco products and lower smoking rates, smoking prevalence is higher among people experiencing homelessness. The reasons are complex and go beyond individual choices, including limited awareness about quitting, restricted access to services, and previous negative experiences. Using the SEM framework, which emphasizes the policy and environmental contexts, this study offers a deeper understanding of the context of the lives women experiencing homelessness. The evidence from this study supports the implementation of gender- and age-appropriate holistic approaches to healthcare and tobacco interventions tailored to this community.

People experiencing homelessness in California face high rates of chronic illness and disability, and numerous barriers to care. These health challenges make it harder for people to obtain and retain housing, and homelessness worsens health, trapping people in a vicious cycle. As the homeless population ages, these burdens deepen, with profound implications for individuals, communities, and the systems that serve them. This webinar includes findings from our recent report, Toward Thriving: Understanding Health & Homelessness, with insights from the report’s lead author and experts from across the health and homelessness systems.

The U.S. overdose crisis is now driven by polysubstance use involving fentanyl and stimulants. We received funding through the National Institutes on Drug Abuse’s Helping to End Addiction Long-Term (HEAL) initiative to conduct longitudinal qualitative research on polysubstance use among people experiencing homelessness (PEH) in San Francisco, California. This paper discusses the rationale for these combined approaches and lessons learned from conducting longitudinal qualitative research with a community in real-time during enhanced risk for criminalization and overdose fatality.

Homelessness is dynamic; some individuals cycle between homelessness and housing. BHHI examined the prevalence of and factors associated with exits from and returns to homelessness among adults aged 50 and older. With a median 4 years of follow-up, 80% of participants exited homelessness into housing. Having a permanent rental subsidy was associated with retaining housing.

The University of California, San Francisco Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative (BHHI) today released a report on the relationship between health and homelessness. Toward Thriving: Understanding Health & Homelessness reveals that nearly half of Californians experiencing homelessness rate their health as poor or fair—about four times the rate in the general U.S. population. The report documents high rates of chronic disease, disability, and steep barriers to care for Californians experiencing homelessness.

Incarceration is a recognized risk factor for homelessness. However, most research focuses on the relationship between homelessness and prison incarceration. This study examines the occurrence of housing loss after jail incarceration among individuals without prior evidence of homelessness and the associated risk of reincarceration.

People with lived experience hold insights and networks that academic researchers alone cannot access. Building trust-based partnerships between researchers and lived experts takes time, vulnerability, and institutional change. But it’s essential to producing knowledge that leads to equitable and effective solutions.

SAN FRANCISCO (October 8, 2025) – Following is a statement by Dr. Margot Kushel, MD, Director of the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative (BHHI) at the University of California, San Francisco, on the potential impact of proposed federal funding cuts to critical programs that address housing insecurity, hunger, and poverty.