Integrated Coordinated Care Policies in Alameda County for the Unhoused Population

Alameda County departments and organizations have continually provided varying services to members in the unhoused community to increase pathways to stabilization for those served, with little success for over 37 years. While there were studies that discussed the issues of high service utilization faced by unhoused behavioral health care recipients, there was little to no literature that discussed these issues in Alameda County, where the numbers of unhoused persons total more than 9,500. There was very little known as to what policy barriers, and conversely, facilitators and key stakeholders in clinical and penal institutions face in implementing integrated coordinated care policies for unhoused behavioral health recipients in Alameda County. Fourteen participants, encompassing practitioners and department heads, were chosen using a purposeful sampling strategy. Data for the study was collected using an IRB-approved interview guide. Benet’s polarities of democracy was used as the theoretical framework to analyze the participant responses. Study findings strongly suggested that Alameda County policymakers have opportunities to effect positive social change in the unhoused community as well as for their practitioners through policy changes that include but should not be limited to developing and implementing an overarching integrated coordinated care policy, a single health care record system, and developing diverse leadership over care programs. By implementing an integrated coordinated care policy in Alameda County, policymakers could provide the unhoused community experiencing behavioral health care challenges with pathways to stabilization and create positive social change.