Hope Village in Santa Maria will provide interim temporary housing in the form of 94 modular units to support the most vulnerable unhoused people in the area. It’s set to open later this year near the Betteravia Government Complex.
Dignity Health’s Marian Regional Medical Center is partnering with the county to set aside some of those rooms for recuperative care: where unhoused residents can rest and recover after hospital stays. Sue Andersen is president and CEO of Marian Regional Medical Center.
“Thirty of those units will be set aside for Marian Regional Medical Center to use for discharges of homeless patients,” she said.
Andersen said, in the past, the hospital would pay for a hotel room or search for a location where patients could stay to get follow-up care after surgery or other medical emergencies. She said Hope Village will help meet those needs.
“I can give an example of a homeless individual who had to have their foot amputated, how do you go back out on the street? They needed to be cared for long after their hospitalization,” she said.
Andersen said this type of care can also reduce repeat visits to the emergency room by providing patients with a bed, clean facilities, and the medical attention they need.
“For the overall health of people, this is such a good project. If you don’t have a roof over your head, it’s very hard for you to keep healthy,” she said.
Last week alone, five people needed a place to go after being discharged from the hospital. Amelia Grover is the social work manager for Marian Regional Medical Center, she said many of the patients are older and have chronic health issues.
“The hope is also that people might be able to stay there for a longer period of time while they get stabilized and while they deal with all of these complex health needs that have contributed to the current reason for their visit to the hospital,” she said.
Grover said it’s also a way to connect people to additional services. Good Samaritan Shelter is the service provider for Hope Village, and they’ll work with individuals to manage their health and assist them with other needs – like finding more permanent housing.
