Lack of Housing Connected to Poorer Health Outcomes — Intermountain Health Supports Housing Groups

Citing the lack of adequate housing can be connected to poorer health outcomes, Intermountain Health has committed approximately $3.5 million to homeless and housing advocacy groups in Nevada, Colorado, Montana, and Utah.

“Housing stability is a major contributor to positive health outcomes,” said Megan Mahncke, Intermountain’s chief marketing and communications officer. “Unfortunately, those experiencing homelessness may face barriers such as high rent, inflation and a  deficit of affordable housing. Intermountain is committed to working with community partners to help those in need find housing they can afford.”

Contributions include:

• For a total of approximately $250,000 of in-kind gifts, services, and donations from Intermountain Health facilities in Colorado and Montana to community organizations working with the community experiencing homelessness.
• Free laundry services from Intermountain Health St. Mary’s Medical Center in Grand Junction, Colorado for Homeward Bound, the largest homeless-serving organization in the area. This laundry service ensures people staying at the Homeward Bound shelter can access clean clothes, beds, and towels as they work to find stable housing.
• Medical respite housing support for 27 individuals experiencing homelessness to help them recover from injuries and illnesses in Jefferson County, Colorado.
• Free meals provided by Intermountain Health St. James Healthcare to people experiencing homelessness in Butte, Montana.
• Intermountain St. James Healthcare partnered with community organizations and local governments in Butte, Montana, to help people experiencing homelessness get into housing and access behavioral health and physical health needs.
• $35,000 to Courtyard Homeless Shelter Nevada to support the Courtyard Medical Clinic. The shelter is using the funds to support the purchase of a portable ultrasound machine and other medical equipment needed to expand access to care.
• $419,000 to The Road Home in Salt Lake City – an emergency shelter that helps people step out of homelessness — to support the development of a Health and Housing Transition team. This includes hiring a full-time caregiver dedicated to helping current and formerly unhoused community members access quality healthcare and stable housing.
• $500,000 to The Switchpoint Community Resource Center in Salt Lake City to help build a tiny home neighborhood that will provide 100 units of housing for seniors and veterans living on poverty level incomes. They will also provide onsite access to integrated treatment services for both physical and behavioral health.
• A total of $300,000 to the United Way of Northern Utah, which partners with Rocky Mountain Home Funds to offer a unique intermediary step for low-to-moderate-income families in Weber County to put them on a path to home ownership through down payment assistance programs.  The contribution is paid in three annual installments of $100,000 which began in 2022. The Rocky Mountain Homes Fund has served 46 families to date, 21 of which are families of Intermountain Caregivers.
• A total of $375,000 to the Utah Nonprofit Housing Corporation to help establish the Utah Housing Preservation Fund, an evergreen investment fund whose mission is to preserve existing affordable housing throughout Utah into perpetuity.
• $200,000 toward operating expenses for Youth Futures in Cedar City, Utah which establishes transitional housing for both unsheltered youth and at-risk single mothers.
• $990,000 to Shelter The Homeless in Salt Lake City over the last three years to assist with providing meals to those experiencing homelessness.
• $800,000 to Salt Lake City’s Fourth Street Clinic, which helps people experiencing homelessness.

“Intermountain Health is fully committed to help unhoused communities access housing, medical care and behavioral health services. That is done best by partnering with existing, local organizations who have programs that can make a difference for families and individuals in need. This helps our overall goal to help communities become healthier, and help everyone live the healthiest lives possible,” Mahncke said.

About Intermountain Health

Headquartered in Utah with locations in seven states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a nonprofit system of 33 hospitals, 385 clinics, medical groups with some 3,900 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For more information or updates, see https://intermountainhealthcare.org/news.