News
Over $1.8 Million Dollars in Grants from Health Net to Improve Whole-Person Health for Kern County Residents Experiencing Homelessness
Date: 07/06/23
In collaboration with Continuum of Cares across the state, Health Net will help deliver housing and services to meet the needs of California's most vulnerable residents.
Bakersfield, California (July 6, 2023) – Today, Health Net announced the company will award $1.8 million dollars in grants to support Kern County's unhoused residents with housing and other services. These funds will support local Continuum of Care (CoC) programs. A CoC is a regional or local planning body that coordinates housing and other services for homeless families and individuals.
"Health Net's efforts to increase the quality of life for Californian's experiencing homelessness is a testament to our dedication to the communities we serve," said Medi-Cal President at Health Net, Martha Santana-Chin. "We are proud to provide these funds for Kern County residents to support them on their path to health and wellbeing."
The grants will fund work which may include, but is not limited to:
- Partnership and capacity to support referrals for services, including:
- Engagement with CoCs
- Connection and integration with the local homeless Coordinated Entry System
- Identifying and addressing barriers to providing medically appropriate and cost-effective housing – related to Community Supports
- Partnerships with counties, CoCs, and/or organizations
- Infrastructure to coordinate and meet member housing needs, including:
- Connection with Street Medicine teams
- Health Net connection with the local Homeless Management Information System
- Managed Care Plan process for tracking and managing referrals for housing-related Community Supports
- Delivery of services and member engagement, including:
- Percent of Health Net members screened for homelessness or risk of homelessness
- Health Net members screened for homelessness or risk of homelessness who were discharged from an inpatient setting
- Health Net members experiencing homelessness receiving at least one housing-related Community Supports
"We are feeling incredibly thankful for this generous funding from Health Net. We are so excited to continue to support those in our community," said Interim Executive Director, Bakersfield-Kern Regional Homeless Collaborative, Rick Ramos.
"We're grateful for this generous funding from Health Net. This is going to help us expand our reach into the community and provide care to those that need it the most," said Executive Director, Housing Authority of the County of Kern, Stephen Pelz.
This partnership continues to build on Health Net's efforts to provide wraparound care for the communities they serve. To learn more, visit the Health Net website.