Yolo Community Care Continuum, Sutter Health and Dignity Health partner to provide a safe place to rest for homeless patients after hospital discharge

SACRAMENTO, CA, September 10, 2018 – Yolo Community Care Continuum (YCCC), Sutter Health and Dignity Health have announced a partnership for a pilot program that will provide respite care for those experiencing homelessness who need a safe place to rest and recover after being discharged from the hospital.

The Haven House program, located in Woodland, will focus on providing a safe place for homeless individuals to recuperate after hospital discharge and getting them linked to wraparound services and resources. They will be able to stay at Haven House, which offers four respite beds, for up to 29 days. During their stay, YCCC staff will assist guests by working to connect them to services including health insurance enrollment, finding a medical home, substance use and mental health services and placement in permanent housing.

As part of the partnership, Sutter Health and Dignity Health together have contributed $10,000 for tenant improvements to the Haven House, as well as providing $60,000 each for the program’s first year.

“Dignity Health has a long history of investing in community programs to combat homelessness and collaborating with nonprofit organizations to work directly with the homeless to improve the well-being of this population,” said Kevin Vaziri, president of Woodland Memorial Hospital. “We are proud to announce our partnership for the Haven House Program to provide much needed respite beds in Yolo County.”

“As a not-for-profit health system, our mission at Sutter Health is to improve the health and well-being of the communities we serve both inside and outside the walls of our care facilities,” said Holly Harper, director of external affairs at Sutter Health. “With the opening of Haven House, we are helping to ensure that underserved people in our region have a safe and stable environment to aid their recovery and continued rehabilitation after they receive medical care.”

“Yolo Community Care Continuum’s mission is to better the lives of people in our community through direct services, advocacy, education and volunteer efforts. We are excited by the opportunity to partner with Dignity and Sutter on this exciting new program that addresses health and homelessness in our community,” stated Michele Kellogg, executive director.  “We look forward to removing some of the barriers to providing care and making a real difference together.”

The Haven House program launched in late July.