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In this op-ed, Cheyenne Garcia, senior research analyst at the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, calls for action to end generational homelessness. She characterizes the dire need for expanded funding for necessary resources, like an increase in housing choice vouchers, to end family homelessness. "As a society, it is imperative to assume an obligation to protect children." Ms. Garcia writes. This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.

Self-storage prices are rising. With an unregulated industry, owners can raise rates to whatever the market will bear. People who experience homelessness often use storage units to safeguard important papers and other possessions. When folks are unable to pay for the storage unit, their belongings can get locked in the unit or sold off. Margot Kushel, MD, director of the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, said, “People wind up paying an enormous proportion of their income to sustain these units, and then wind up losing them anyway. That feels particularly tragic because it’s like the worst of all worlds.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends new covid-19 booster vaccines for all. A boost in protection is important to protect people against severe COVID and death. However, structural factors have prevented booster uptake among those who could benefit the most from the vaccine. Booster rates among people who experience homelessness is largely unknown. Tiana Moore, PhD, the Policy Director at the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative is concerned that people experience homelessness face high barriers to vaccination. Dr. Moore said, "Many of our participants talked about concerns about leaving their belongings when unsheltered since they don’t have a door to lock."

The number of people experiencing homelessness who are older than 50 is increasing. The second half of the baby boomers were aging and came of age during back-to-back economic downturns, making them financially less secure. Margot Kushel, MD, director of the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, said, "These are people who worked their whole lives. They had typical lives, often working physically demanding jobs, and never made enough to put money away."

A landmark study by UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative (BHHI) paints a different picture on people experiencing homelessness in California. The report released in June 2023, examines the demographics of people experiencing homelessness in California, how people enter and experience homelessness, factors that block or enable a person’s return to housing, and policy recommendations.

The Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative at the University of California San Francisco, released a groundbreaking report on the characteristics and causes of homelessness in California. The study used a mixed methods approach, collecting data from more than 3,000 surveys and 365 in-depth interviews. In addition to reinforcing the existing—and alarming—trends around both an aging population and disproportionate representation of communities of color among those experiencing homelessness, there were several findings from the report that stand out.

Drug overdose has increased in the U.S. since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020. In San Francisco, single-room occupancy (SRO) tenants are more likely to dive of opioid overdose than non-SRO residents. The SRO project aimed to reduce fatal overdoses in SROs. In this eight month ethnographic field work, researchers found that the SRO project increased awareness, access to, and understanding of naloxone, as well as, supporting the privacy and autonomy of tenants regarding their drug use.

As a board member of the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative (BHHI) Lived Expertise Advisory Board that played a major role in the design and implementation of the California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness, my participation on the project was deeply influenced by my personal experience of homelessness. Having faced the challenges and uncertainties associated with housing instability firsthand, I have dedicated myself to making a positive impact and working towards finding lasting solutions for those facing similar struggles.

The California Statewide Study on People Experiencing Homelessness researchers included people who were formerly or are currently experiencing homelessness. In this op-ed, Claudine Sipili, one of the Lived Expertise Advisory Board co-chairs, writes about the landmark study and her experience participating with the project. She writes, "Throughout the study, the board members’ guidance helped create a safe and dignified space for survey participants to share their experiences openly. By involving individuals with lived experience, we gained deeper insights into the complexities of homelessness."

Older adults experiencing chronic homelessness have low rates of advance care planning despite high rates of morbidity and mortality. Researchers explored if rehousing people who experience homelessness into permanent supportive housing (PSH) would present an opportunity to introduce advance care planning (ACP). Researchers identified behavioral determinants related to ACP for formerly chronically homeless adults in PSH.

Programs have been created to address housing for Veterans. However, Veterans are still at high risk for unstable housing. This study aimed to determine whether interpersonal violence was associated with unstable housing among Veterans. Research from BHHI demonstrated the potential to improve health outcomes through trauma informed approaches that address mental health, substance use, and housing concurrently.

California is home to 30% of the nation's homeless population, and 50% of the nation's unsheltered population. The UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative released the largest representative study on homelessness in decades. The study's findings dispel common myths and take a systematic approach to understanding the causes of homelessness and potential solutions. Inside the Issues host Alex Cohen speaks with Margot Kushel, MD, director of UCSF’s Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, about the landmark study and the root causes of homelessness. When talking about older people experiencing homelessness, Dr. Kushel said, "The story of homelessness in California is really older adults, usually older adults of color, living their last years on our streets."

The California Statewide Study on People Experiencing Homelessness is the largest representative study on homelessness since the 1990s. The research highlighted crucial aspects of homelessness and debunked several myths. Margot Kushel, MD, director of the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative and principal investigator of the landmark study emphasized the urgent need for a national effort to combat homelessness, building upon the insights gained from the California study.

On this podcast episode of Think Out Loud, Dave Miller speaks with Margot Kushel, MD, director of the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, about the new study on homelessness and how the findings could be relevant to Oregon. When talking about how the study's findings could provide insight to Oregon, Dr. Kushel said, "I'm afraid what we're seeing in California is definitely a model, in not a good way, up and down the west coast, and throughout other parts of the country."

Everyday 171,000 people experience homelessness in California; in rural areas, in urban areas, throughout California. Margot Kushel, MD, director of UCSF’s Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative and lead investigator spoke with the host of the California Sun podcast, Jeff Schechtman, about the recent study released by the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative. When speaking about root causes, Dr. Kushel said, "The root cause comes back to just housing. It is right there in the name, to be homeless is to not have a home". 

Researchers at UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative have released the largest representative survey of homeless people in more than 25 years. Researchers surveyed over 3200 people experiencing homelessness in California, and conducted over 300 in-depth interviews. The California Statewide Study on People Experiencing Homelessness paints a different picture, debunking common myths and providing evidence-based solutions.

California has 12% of the US's population, but makes up roughly half of the nation's unsheltered homeless population. In late June, the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative released a landmark report on the state of homelessness in California. In this episode of the Ezra Klein Show, Ezra speaks with the Atlantic writer, Jerusalam Desmas, about the reports core findings, what we know about homelessness, and what solutions exist to address it.

A landmark study by UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative (BHHI) paints a different picture on people experiencing homelessness in California. Researchers at BHHI sought to capture the experiences of all people aged 18 years and older who experience some form of homelessness in California. "It took a lot of time and was a lot of work, but we wanted to be able to show policymakers what this issue looks like instead of just giving them more numbers to look at," said Margot Kushel, MD, the study’s principal investigator and director of UCSF’s Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative.