Resource Center

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a risk factor for people experiencing homelessness. Few studies have examined the interplay between IPV, homelessness, and housing. Researchers purposefully sampled 104 adults who reported experiencing IPV in the California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness (CASPEH), a representative, mixed-methods study. They identified six primary themes regarding IPV and homelessness.

Although only 9% of Sacramento's general population is Black, Black residents now comprise 35% of Sacramento's homeless population. A special report released by the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative on Black Californians' experiences of homelessness highlights the systemic causes that have left so many unhoused. Kara Young Ponder, PhD, director of community engagement and racial justice at the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, said, "When you consider (leaving) homelessness, you think about the requirements needed to get back into housing — waiting lists, who gets a voucher, who doesn’t get a voucher. It’s hard to get housing or a room. It’s even harder for Black Americans."

A recent special report released by the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative on older adult homelessness found that nearly half of California's homeless population is now 50 and older. These older adults are staying homeless for longer and are in poorer health than their younger peers. Margot Kushel, MD, director of the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, said, "These are people living on fixed incomes, on disability, on really meager pensions, and they really need housing that they can afford."

Among people experiencing homelessness in California, nearly half of the population is now over the age of 50. By 50, a homeless person’s health more closely resembles that of someone in their 70s, with a higher chance of chronic disease, mobility issues, and cognitive decline, according to a recent special report released by the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative on older adult homelessness. Margot Kushel, MD, director of the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, said, "We could meaningfully reduce the number of people experiencing homelessness if we focused on this group."

Among people experiencing homelessness in California, the group rising the fastest by proportion is older adults. A recent special report released by the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative on older adult homelessness highlights their experiences during homelessness, and what impacted their return to permanent housing. Margot Kushel, MD, director of the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, said, "The dramatic rise in homelessness among older adults has severe consequences for the health and safety of those who experience it and for our society at large. Now is the time for investments in real solutions to prevent and end homelessness among this vulnerable population."

The California Statewide Study on People Experiencing Homelessness is the largest representative study on homelessness since the 1990s. The study used a mixed methods approach, collecting data from more than 3,000 surveys and 365 in-depth interviews to uncover who is experiencing homelessness, what individual circumstances have led to them becoming homeless, and how their health issues have affected their life experiences. Margot Kushel, MD, director of the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative and principal investigator on the report, also delivered the annual John P. Dunlop Lecture at the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS), presenting the findings and discussing policy recommendations.

Californians experiencing homelessness are aging, presenting unique challenges. A recent special report released by the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative on older adult homelessness highlights their experiences during homelessness, and what impacted their return to permanent housing. Margot Kushel, MD, director of the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, said, "The older you are when you first become homeless, sort of the more stuck in homelessness you get."

SAN FRANCISCO – The University of California, San Francisco Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative (BHHI) today released a special report on who experiences homelessness in late life, what precipitated their homelessness, their experiences during homelessness, and what impacted their return to permanent housing. The analysis is based on survey data and in-depth interviews from the California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness (CASPEH), the largest representative study of homelessness in the United States since the mid-1990s.

To better understand the experiences of older adults experiencing homelessness, the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative examined findings from the California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness (CASPEH), the largest representative study of homelessness since the mid-1990s. This report reviews who experiences homelessness in late life, how they lost their housing, their experiences during homelessness, and the barriers they face to regaining housing. These findings highlight the urgent need for evidence-based solutions and policy interventions to address the unique challenges faced by older adults experiencing homelessness.

Are you a researcher who wants to include people with lived experience in your research? Are you an organization that wants to authentically involve community members in your program development or evaluation? The UCSF BHHI recently released a report on the largest representative study of homelessness in the United States since the mid-1990s—the California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness (CASPEH). The CASPEH was guided by a Lived Expertise Advisory Board—a group of advisors from across the state of California who represent a range of lived and living experiences of homelessness. Join Kara Young Ponder, PhD, Lived Expertise Advisory Board Members Michelle Ochoa, Dez Martinez, and Robynne Rose-Haymer as they discuss the nuts and bolts of how they did research together from designing survey questions to helping train field staff, analyzing data and disseminating findings. 

Margot Kushel, MD, director of the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, delivered the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies’ 23rd John T. Dunlop Lecture. Dr. Kushel spoke about the impact that homelessness has on an individual’s quality of life, highlighting the lived experiences of unhoused Californians who participated in the California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness. After the lecture there was a panel, featuring, Boston Healthcare for the Homeless founder, Harvard Medical School professor James J. O’Connell, and Peggy Bailey, a leader of a housing policy research center. JCHS Managing Director Chris Herbert, the moderated the panel. Dr. Kushel said, "While it is really easy to blame people impacted by homelessness, doing so not only is not fair or right, but it also isn’t going to get us any closer to a solution."

Deciding to live with intimate partner violence (IPV) instead of choosing a shelter is a complex decision. The UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative recently released a special report on IPV and homelessness. Anita Hargrave, MD, assistant professor at UCSF and co-author on the report, said, "Intimate partner violence can precipitate homelessness for many people, and is particularly dangerous for those that are at the economic margins."

Black Californians make up only 7% of the states population, but make up more than 25% of the state's population of people who experience homelessness. A recent special report released by the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative on Black Californians' experiences homelessness highlights the systemic racism. Kara Young Ponder, PhD, director of community engagement and racial justice at the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, said, "California is one million units short of affordable and available housing for extremely low-income renters, of which Black Californians are over represented."

Black Californians are nearly four times more likely than White Californians to experience homelessness. This webinar is about the causes and consequences of homelessness for Black Californians. Kara Young Ponder, PhD, Tiana Moore, PhD, Lived Expertise Advisory Board Members Sage Johnson and Robynne Rose-Haymer, and National Alliance to End Homelessness VP of Research and Evidence Joy Moses discussed findings from the California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness (CASPEH), highlighted key policy recommendations, and answered audience questions.

To better understand the experiences of Black Californians experiencing homelessness, the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative examined the experience of Black Californians within the California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness (CASPEH), the largest representative study of homelessness since the mid-1990s. This report reviews who experiences homelessness in the Black community, what may have precipitated their homelessness, experiences during their episode of homelessness, and what impacts their return to permanent housing. These findings aim to inform evidence-based solutions for preventing and ending homelessness for Black Californians.

The University of California, San Francisco Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative (BHHI) today released a special report on Black Californians’ experiences of homelessness. The report explores who in the Black community experiences homelessness, how they lost their housing, their experiences while homeless, and the barriers they face to regaining housing. The goal of the report is to inform evidence-based solutions for preventing and ending homelessness for Black Californians.

Hosted by the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence (the Partnership), lead researcher Anita Hargrave, MD, UCSF BHHI Policy Director Tiana Moore, PhD, and CPEDV staff dove deeper into policy recommendations and solutions that arose from the California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness (CASPEH) findings on the intersection of intimate partner violence and homelessness. The webinar featured an in-depth discussion of local and state opportunities, as well as funding and programmatic policy recommendations for advocates, policymakers, and other decision-makers.