USICH Collaborates With Kaiser Permanente to Address the Intersection of Health and Homelessness
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) is pleased to announce a new collaboration with Kaiser Permanente, a leader in the cross-sector and cross-system work to address homelessness and improve access to health care and affordable housing.
“Homelessness is deadly—but preventable and solvable—especially if we treat it like the public health crisis that it is,” said USICH Executive Director Jeff Olivet. “People with preexisting conditions are more likely to experience homelessness, and without a home, health suffers and people die decades earlier—often from treatable conditions. We are thrilled to have Alaa Hasan and Dr. Joy C. Liu bring their public health expertise to the federal effort to prevent and end homelessness.”
Alaa Hasan joins USICH as part of the Community Health Leadership Program, which was established by the American Public Health Association and Kaiser Permanente to provide an immersive year-long work experience for underrepresented young professionals in public health who are committed to pursuing health equity. As part of the USICH Policy Team, Hasan will support and lead projects related to the implementation of All In: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. All In is the most comprehensive federal plan to systemically prevent homelessness and combat racism that makes people of color far more likely to experience homelessness. Hasan is a first-generation Palestinian immigrant who has worked on innovative solutions to homelessness and advocated for policies that address the needs of people experiencing homelessness.
Dr. Joy C. Liu joins USICH as part of her rotation as an internal medicine/public health resident at Kaiser Permanente. Dr. Liu will support the Policy Team’s work on All In and the National Initiative Team’s work on the ALL INside Initiative, which USICH and the White House launched earlier this year. As part of ALL INside, the federal government is embedding officials in key mayors’ offices and deploying federal teams to reduce regulatory barriers that make it difficult for people experiencing homelessness to access housing, health care, and other support. Her work will focus on how to engage health systems in local and national work to address homelessness.
Kaiser Permanente is leading efforts to end homelessness and preserve affordable housing through its innovative partnerships, policy shaping, and strategic impact investments. Kaiser Permanente’s multi-pronged approach to increase affordable housing and address homelessness is helping improve the health outcomes of the 68 million people who live in the communities it serves.
“At Kaiser Permanente, we know that a safe, stable home is vital to good health and is the foundation for healthy lives and communities,” said Bechara Choucair, MD, SVP, and Chief Health Officer for Kaiser Permanente. “We are excited about the contributions that these leaders will make during their time with USICH to prevent and end homelessness, and to help shape a healthier future for all.”