Remote care communities: healthcare housing for the chronically homeless

The connection between housing and health is well documented; nowhere, this link clearer than with the chronically homeless. To improve population health and reduce costs, healthcare systems have a great incentive to house their chronically homeless patients. However, current healthcare payment models coupled with the high cost of building and maintaining affordable supportive housing prohibit the provision of this type of care. We propose the creation of “Remote Care Communities” to redefine housing as a health intervention: providing preventative care in the form of patient rooms outside of, or remote to, the hospital. This paper describes specific tactics for establishing new collaborative models of funding and creating extremely affordable accommodations at an amount and a rate commensurate with the need. This shift reflects a systemic understanding of housing as a healthcare entitlement and has national implications for the healthcare industry, the housing industry, and local governments.