BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN HOSPITALIZATION OF THE HOMELESS, SELF-CARE AND HOUSING: A PROPOSAL

The purpose of this thesis is to propose the use of a program planning model that will address the lack of respite care, or in other words, the lack of a specific place for recuperation after an illness or injury available for homeless people in Allegheny County. This proposal will incorporate a program planning design of a potential respite program in Allegheny County. This respite care intervention is designed to be part of a county wide effort to eliminate homelessness in Allegheny County led by the Allegheny County Homeless Alliance. This proposal will incorporate the Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP) program model for the intervention design. This is a six-phase process that emphasizes community collaboration and assessment as the driving forces for the creation of an intervention. The six phases of the MAPP model are 1) Organizing for Success/Partnership Development; 2) Visioning; 3) The Four MAPP Assessments; 4) Identify Strategic Issues; 5) Formulate Goals and Strategies; 6) The Action Cycle. This proposal will describe how the Allegheny County Homeless Alliance can conduct the phases of the MAPP model using information previously collected as well as ways they can obtain additional information. The proposal will describe a respite care intervention that is an example of a possible respite care program in Allegheny County. The goals of the program are to improve the health of the homeless as well as to create social support for this population and an opportunity to transition into permanent housing. The public health significance of this proposal is that it will create an intervention for the homeless population of Allegheny County that will allow them to achieve better health status through respite and follow-up care, greater social support and, most importantly, the opportunity to obtain permanent housing in a more direct way than what is the norm