Half of people experiencing homelessness are older than 50, and almost half of older homeless adults became homeless for the first time after they turned 50. This webinar is about the causes and consequences of homelessness in late life. Margot Kushel, MD, and other BHHI presenters will discuss findings from the Health Outcomes of People Experiencing Homelessness in Older Middle Age (HOPE HOME) project—a longitudinal cohort study following older adults experiencing homelessness in Oakland, CA, and the California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness (CASPEH)—the largest representative study of homelessness in the United States since the mid-1990s.

Homelessness and behavioral health issues (mental health and substance use) are intertwined. The UCSF Benioff Homelessness & Housing Initiative held a webinar about this complex bidirectional relationship, along with solutions to this crisis. Margot Kushel, MD, Claudine Sipili, Darrell Steinberg, JD, and Stephanie Welch, MSW, discussed findings from the California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness (CASPEH), highlighted key policy recommendations, and answered audience questions. Marc Dones moderated the webinar.

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.

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—from rural and urban, living sheltered and unsheltered, young and old, in families and single. This webinar is about creating authentic and meaningful collaborations between researchers and people with lived experiences. Panelists discussed how this partnership between BHHI and the CASPEH LEAB brought equity, collaboration and shared power to each phase of the CASPEH. They also talked about what they did together and shared tips for forming a board to advise on research projects and programs.

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. 

Domestic violence, frequently referred to as intimate partner violence (IPV), is a common precipitant of homelessness. This webinar is about the intersection of intimate partner violence and homelessness. Anita Hargrave, MD; Lived Expertise Advisory Board Members Jesica Giannola and Dez Martinez; Tiana Moore, PhD, and Debbie Chang, MPH, CEO of the Blue Shield of California Foundation discussed relevant findings from the California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness (CASPEH), highlighted key policy recommendations, and answered audience questions.

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. The UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative (BHHI) held a discussion of Toward Equity: Latine Experiences of Homelessness in California, the latest report from the California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness (CASPEH) series. This webinar highlights key data on how structural anti-Latine racism, housing exclusion, and administrative barriers shape pathways into homelessness, and explores what policy, service, and community leaders can do to close equity gaps.

The UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative (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. BHHI study staff administered nearly 3,200 questionnaires and conducted 365 in-depth interviews with adults experiencing homelessness in California to better understand the characteristics and experiences of adults experiencing homelessness, precipitants of homelessness, barriers and facilitators to regaining housing, and opportunities to better prevent and end homelessness. Our presenters, Margot Kushel, MD, Kara Ponder, PhD, Tiana Moore, PhD, and Sage Johnson discussed key findings from the study, reviewed evidence-based policy recommendations, and answered questions from attendees.

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.

Most people experiencing homelessness in California do so in unsheltered settings, such as outdoors or in vehicles. This webinar is about the causes and consequences of unsheltered homelessness. Margot Kushel, MD, moderated a conversation with Marc Dones, Ashley Meehan, MPH, and Carter Hewgley, discussing recommendations and solutions for addressing unsheltered homelessness in a way that preserves health, dignity, and civil rights for those experiencing it.