Alleviating Homelessness by Providing Recuperative Care

What has the pandemic taught us? Never take good health or access to healthcare for granted. This is the backbone of the National Health Foundation’s mission.

Founded in 1973 to conduct research and programs related to healthcare, the organization found its footing by studying the needs of the Los Angeles community.

“There are at least 58,000 people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County. And unfortunately, there are not 58,000 beds available for all those individuals,” says Scott Twomey, director of special projects. 

At the forefront of National Health Foundation’s services is their emphasis on alleviating homelessness by providing recuperative care. The recuperative care facilities run by the organization provide interim housing to those who have recently been discharged from a hospital but have nowhere to go.

Bill was one of many who found himself in this situation. 

“Over the last decade, I lost almost everything I have ever valued: my parents, two brothers, marriage, business, home, wealth, and health,” Bill, age 63, says.

Destitute, homeless, and needing intensive nursing care after a complicated operation, Bill felt as though his life was over: “I thought I was done at age 60 and, as I told many, I did not expect to live until 65. I believed this, lived with this prediction, and even made uncomfortable peace with my impending demise.”

But Bill’s fortune changed after being admitted to National Health Foundation’s recuperative care center in Mid City, Los Angeles. Bill took control of his health and began to feel hopeful again.

By providing people like Bill with a place to safely recover, where they will be looked after and fed, National Health Foundation is reducing the strain on an already stretched healthcare system. In providing recuperative care services, National Health Foundation has saved the American healthcare system over 20 million dollars. But more importantly, National Health Foundation is protecting the welfare of a vulnerable group.

“My respect for National Health Foundation, its management, and its staff cannot be overstated,” Bill says. “They have provided a foundation of support from which I have been able to resume a valuable and productive life.”