UCSF BHHI strives to prevent and end homelessness by identifying, evaluating, and amplifying research-driven solutions. To do so, we use a combined framework of Strategic Science and Community-Engaged Research to inform perspectives, policies, and practices. Where a research base already exists, we translate that research into policy and practice. And where novel questions emerge, we conduct research responsive to the gap. Strategic Science is a methodology to build evidence and fill gaps in knowledge to influence decision-making. Strategic science is insightful, collaborative, and actionable. Designed to address gaps in knowledge important to policy decisions, strategic science depends on the reciprocal

Latine Californians represent more than one-third of the state's homeless population. Yet their experiences are too often left out of research, policy, and service design. This report, based on the California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness (CASPEH), examines who experiences homelessness in the Latine community, their experiences while homeless, and offers research-backed policy and program solutions. Findings include: 35 percent of adults experiencing homelessness in California identify as Latine. Latine adults experiencing homelessness are younger, with a median age of 42, lower than members of other groups. Nearly half (48%) were in their first episode of homelessness. Among those

People experiencing homelessness in California face high rates of chronic illness and disability, and numerous barriers to care. Nearly half of adults experiencing homelessness rate their health as poor or fair—about four times the rate in the general U.S. population. 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. California’s homelessness crisis is a public health crisis, demanding coordinated responses across housing, healthcare, and social service

Seventy-eight percent of Californians experiencing homelessness live unsheltered, forced to live their private lives in public. This group faces significant health and safety risks, including exposure to infectious diseases, adverse weather conditions, and violence. To better understand unsheltered homelessness, we examined data from the California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness. We released a topic brief that examines who experiences unsheltered homelessness, how they lost their housing, their experiences during homelessness, and barriers to regaining housing. We also released tools to support evidence-based encampment resolution. Our Encampment Resolution Guide and Encampment Prioritization Tool are designed to help communities balance competing