November 17, 2025
Health and housing partnerships create lasting change
Victorville, California, has achieved a significant reduction in homelessness through a community health grant and a comprehensive care approach.
Medical respite care offers short-term housing for people experiencing homelessness who need a safe place to heal after hospitalization.
Victorville, California, is rewriting its story on homelessness. According to the latest Point in Time Count, the number of people experiencing homelessness in Victorville has decreased by 57%, while the overall number of people experiencing homelessness has dropped 27% since 2024.
27% decrease
In the overall number of people experiencing homelessness in Victorville
These figures represent 5-year lows for Victorville. While many factors contribute to this progress, a partnership between Kaiser Permanente in Southern California and the city of Victorville is playing an important role.
Advancing medical respite care through community health strategy
In June 2024, Kaiser Permanente awarded a $200,000 community health grant to Victorville Wellness Center, a hub for emergency housing, medical care, and comprehensive wraparound services.
The grant represents just one element of a larger network of resources and initiatives driving progress in Victorville. The city’s notable reduction in people experiencing homelessness is the result of sustained collaboration among agencies, organizations, and community partners working together to deliver holistic solutions.
The grant reflects Kaiser Permanente’s broader commitment to advancing best practices in medical respite care — also known as recuperative care — through its community health strategy.
Medical respite care provides short-term residential care for people experiencing homelessness who no longer require hospitalization but still need a safe place to heal from injury or illness. These programs offer a vital bridge, allowing people to rest, recover, and access clinical care and support services — including connections to stable housing. The initiative is guided by national standards developed by the National Institute for Medical Respite Care, with the aim of improving health and housing outcomes.
The impact of the Victorville Wellness Center
With onsite medical care, transportation to specialty appointments, and enhanced services, the Wellness Center helps people who are experiencing homelessness.
The Victorville Wellness Center goes beyond shelter. It offers on-site medical services, recuperative care, and transportation to specialty appointments. Support from Kaiser Permanente has allowed the center to expand its capabilities with new medical equipment and enhanced care delivery. This ensures that people experiencing homelessness receive the health support they need to recover and rebuild their lives.
Victorville Mayor Liz Becerra shared her appreciation: “With this grant, Kaiser Permanente is helping the city of Victorville fulfill our vision of offering community medicine to the most vulnerable in our community as a central strategy to reducing homelessness in our city.”
Building capacity and best practices
Kaiser Permanente’s medical respite initiative provides more than funds. Grantees receive training, technical assistance, and virtual learning opportunities from the National Institute for Medical Respite Care. These resources are designed to build capacity, improve adherence to best practices, and enhance service quality. The long-term goals are to reduce disease transmission, decrease hospital stays and readmissions, and increase placements in temporary and permanent housing.
Victorville’s experience demonstrates that when health care and housing come together, communities thrive. This is more than a statistic — it’s a story of hope, health, and collaboration.
