CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – Franciscan Outreach is thrilled to announce being one of 17 Illinois agencies awarded funding from the Illinois Public Health Institute (IPHI) for increasing access to medical respite care services for people experiencing homelessness. This initiative is funded by IDHS as part of Home Illinois: Illinois’ Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness, which identified medical respite care as a key activity. Medical respite care is acute and post-acute care for people experiencing homelessness who are too ill or frail to recover from illness or injury on the streets or in a shelter, but who do not require hospital-level care. It combines short-term housing with health services that allow individuals experiencing homelessness the opportunity to rest, recover, and heal in a safe and secure environment while accessing medical care and other supportive services. With this funding, Franciscan Outreach is pleased to share that we will begin offering medical respite care services in Chicago in 2024.