The purpose of this project was to identify and create a program that would meet the needs of a target population, identify potential funding sources, and write a grant to fund a program at St. Mary's Hospital in Long Beach, California. An examination of the literature expanded knowledge about the challenges homeless individuals face. Homeless individuals commonly receive inadequate medical care and often access more costly acute care services due to limited resources, discrimination, and cost. Housing and case management services after discharge from a hospital setting can help improve health care outcomes and reduce costly services.

The program was designed to provide specialized discharge planning services to homeless individuals being discharged from St. Mary's Hospital. The California Wellness Foundation was chosen for this grant based on the program areas of the funder. The actual submission and/or funding of this proposal was not a requirement for completion of this project.