They're Discharging You From the Hospital Tomorrow. Where Exactly Are You Supposed to Recover?

Short-Term Post-Hospitalization Housing

Picture this: You just had surgery. Or you barely survived pneumonia. Or you spent a week in the psych unit. You're weak, you're on new medications you don't understand, you have follow-up appointments you need to make, and the nurse is handing you discharge papers with a smile.

"Do you have a safe place to go?" they ask.

Your options: the shelter where your belongings get stolen while you sleep, your friend's couch where you're "wearing out your welcome," your car, the street, or that motel where someone OD'd last week.

Which of those sounds like a place where a person can actually heal?

Here's the brutal truth nobody wants to say out loud: Hospitals discharge sick people to homelessness every single day. Then act surprised when those same people are back in the ER three weeks later, sicker than before.

Game-changing fact #1: Members using short-term post-hospitalization housing show dramatically reduced hospital readmission rates—we're talking about staying healthy instead of that revolving door between the street and the ER.

Recovery and Care: A patient, recently discharged from the hospital, is supported in a comfortable home setting with compassionate company and essential medications at hand.

But here's what they don't tell you when they're rushing you out of that hospital bed: If you have Health

Net or Health Plan of San Joaquin Medi-Cal coverage, you might be eligible for up to 6 months of free, safe housing specifically for recovery.

Not a shelter. Not a "behavioral health residential program" where they treat you like an inmate. Actual housing with:

• 24-hour staff support (medical, not security)

• Your own bed that nobody else is sleeping in

• Meals provided while you recover

• Medication management so you don't miss doses

• Case managers who actually help you plan your next steps

• Direct connection to permanent housing services

• Transportation to follow-up medical appointments

The Difference Between Surviving and Recovering

There's surviving a hospital stay. Then there's actually recovering.

Surviving is getting discharged to the street, missing your follow-up appointment because you're trying to figure out where to sleep, running out of meds because you can't afford the copay, and ending up back in the ER when your condition deteriorates.

Recovering is having a safe place to rest, taking your medications on schedule, making your follow-up appointments, eating regular meals, and actually getting better.

Mind-blowing fact #2: The service covers people exiting hospitals, residential treatment, mental health facilities, correctional facilities, or anyone facing homelessness during a critical recovery period. That means if you're getting out of jail and you have a health condition, you qualify. Getting out of rehab? You qualify. Leaving a mental health crisis unit? You qualify.

Here's What You Do Right Now (Especially If Discharge Is Coming Soon)

Don't wait until they're wheeling you out the door with your belongings in a plastic bag. Don't accept "the street" as your discharge plan.

Complete our intake form immediately—even if you're still in the hospital. Especially if you're still in the hospital. Our care team at Help Is Hope can work with your discharge planners and our partner providers to arrange short-term post-hospitalization housing BEFORE you leave.

We know exactly how to navigate this system. We know which questions discharge planners need to hear. We know how to connect you to CalAIM Community Supports services quickly.

Book a session with our care team now and let's get your recovery housing lined up while you're still getting medical care.

Think about what six months of stable housing could do for you. Six months where you're not worried about where you're sleeping. Six months to actually heal. Six months to get your meds regulated, your chronic conditions managed, your mental health stabilized. Six months to figure out your permanent housing situation with professional support.

This isn't a fantasy. This is a real CalAIM benefit that your Medi-Cal plan is already paying for. The question is: are you going to use it, or are you going to end up back in the ER in three weeks?

Learn more about our community support services and discover how we help people transition from crisis to stability every single day.

Your recovery matters. And recovery requires more than a prescription—it requires a safe place to actually get better.

Let us help you claim what's already yours.