Healthy Housing Initiative report highlights local solutions to homelessness

September 21, 2026

Alexandria, Va. — A five-year Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) initiative in collaboration with Catholic health care successfully helped individuals experiencing chronic homelessness achieve greater stability while improving their health and well-being. The Healthy Housing Initiative (HHI) increased access to affordable and stable housing and primary and behavioral health care while reducing reliance on costly emergency services.

The report, “Evaluation of the Healthy Housing Initiative,” examines the outcomes of HHI in Detroit; Las Vegas; Portland, Oregon; Spokane; and St. Louis. Xuanren Goodman, PhD, and Cynthia Newton, PhD, both of Delaware State University, prepared the report. HHI was piloted from January 2020 through December 2024.

Launched in January 2020 in response to the growing homelessness crisis in the United States, HHI brought together Catholic Charities agencies, Catholic health systems and local community partners to connect individuals experiencing chronic homelessness with stable housing, primary and behavioral health care, case management and other supportive services.

HHI was developed with three goals in mind: to house at least 20% of people experiencing chronic homelessness in each pilot city (based on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 2019 Point-in-Time counts); reduce by at least 25% emergency room visits and hospital stays among those housed through the program; and connect at least 35% of newly housed individuals with primary care and behavioral health services.

The pilot communities pursued the initiative’s goals by adapting their strategies to local needs and resources. Catholic Charities agencies worked with Catholic and other health systems and other community partners to develop housing projects and to coordinate housing placement, healthcare access, case management and ongoing support. This localized approach allowed each community to build upon existing relationships and address the barriers affecting the individuals it served.

The report findings reinforce evidence that housing is a fundamental driver of health and that lasting solutions to homelessness require coordinated collaboration across health care, housing and social service sectors.

The evaluation found that HHI met its three primary program goals. Highlights include:

Emergency room visits decreased among clients by 46% after they were housed for six months through HHI.
Hospital stays decreased by 60% after clients were housed for six months.
Eighty-six percent of clients had a primary care provider after being housed.
Thirty-seven percent of clients had a behavioral health provider after being housed.
Reduced emergency room visits and hospital stays generated an estimated $4.91 million in savings among 402 surveyed clients during their first six months of housing.

“These promising findings demonstrate the critical connection between housing and a person’s health and well-being,” said Kerry Alys Robinson, President and CEO of Catholic Charities USA. “When people have stable housing and supportive services, they are better able to access health care, build relationships and pursue opportunities that allow them to flourish. Addressing the root causes of homelessness requires us to see the whole person and work together across sectors to uphold human dignity.”

In addition to meeting the initiative’s primary goals, the evaluation found improvements in clients’ self-reported mental and physical health and a reduction in the incidence of addiction after they were housed. Interviews with clients also highlighted increased feelings of safety, dignity and support, as well as stronger relationships with healthcare providers and renewed hope for long-term stability.

CCUSA believes the report will serve as a practical resource for Catholic organizations, healthcare leaders, policymakers, insurers and community organizations seeking to strengthen local partnerships, improve health outcomes and expand access to stable housing. The full report is available here.

About Catholic Charities USA   

Founded in 1910, CCUSA is a national membership organization that supports and represents 170 Catholic Charities agencies across the United States and in five territories. Collectively, the Catholic Charities network each year serves more than 16 million vulnerable people, regardless of their faith or background, through food and nutrition programs, affordable housing, disaster relief and a variety of other humanitarian services. 