Medical respite care (MRC), also known as recuperative care, is acute and post-acute care for people experiencing homelessness (PEH) who are too ill or frail to recover from an illness or injury on the street or in a shelter, but who do not require hospital-level care.
While MRC programs vary greatly in size and structure, they are all guided by the Standards for Medical Respite Care Programs and share the same fundamental elements: short-term residential care that allows PEH the opportunity to rest, recover and heal in a safe environment while accessing medical care and other supportive services.
A literature review conducted in 2021 found a strong body of evidence indicating that MRC improves health and social outcomes for PEH while reducing unnecessary costs to systems and communities.
The field of MRC continues to grow as more communities recognize the importance of addressing this gap in care for PEH who need a place to heal. The data below provides a snapshot of the state of MRC programs in 2022. This resource is intended to support MRC advocacy, education, program planning, and quality improvement in communities across the U.S.
Note:
The data presented here is self-reported by MRC programs based on their profile submissions in the Medical Respite Program Directory. If your MRC program is not represented here or if you would like to provide updated information, please complete this program profile form. We will periodically update these figures as new data emerges.