| Course | DPH 840 Strategic Planning and Financial Management in Public Health |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 7 |
| Paper type | Vulnerable population strategy paper |
| Length | About 1,115 words, 7 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | Doctor of Public Health |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for DPH 840 Module 7
Housing Is Health Care: A County Strategy for Adults Experiencing Homelessness
Student Name
Doctor of Public Health Program, Aspen University
DPH 840: Strategic Planning and Financial Management in Public Health
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Housing Is Health Care: A County Strategy for Adults Experiencing Homelessness
Strategic planning for a whole population can miss the groups with the greatest needs. Adults experiencing homelessness die decades earlier than housed peers and use emergency care heavily, yet they rarely fit the programs health departments run. This paper develops a strategy for a composite county's homeless population, drawing on evidence about Housing First and the roles administrators must play across agencies.
The Population
On the night of the county's latest point-in-time count, outreach teams and shelters recorded 1,450 people experiencing homelessness on a single night, 38% of them unsheltered. About half reported a chronic health condition, many had mental illness or substance use disorders and deaths among people experiencing homelessness have risen, driven by overdose and, increasingly, heat. Most live in or near the east-side neighborhoods at the center of the county's strategic plan.
Health Burden
Homeless people in high-income countries have high rates of infectious diseases, mental illness, substance use disorders and chronic conditions, and their mortality is several times that of the general population. Fazel et al. (2014) note that health care alone cannot address these problems without housing and that services must be designed around the realities of homelessness.
Housing First
Housing First provides permanent housing without requiring sobriety or treatment first, and then offers support services. In a New York trial, participants in a Housing First program obtained housing sooner and remained stably housed at higher rates than those in treatment-first programs, without greater substance use (Tsemberis et al., 2004). Programs that adopt the model faithfully, with rapid placement and voluntary services, tend to achieve the strongest housing retention.
Evidence From a Randomized Trial
A Toronto trial of scattered-site housing with rent supplements and intensive case management found that participants spent about three-quarters of their time stably housed over two years, compared with under 40% in usual care (Stergiopoulos et al., 2015). The evidence supports housing as the foundation of any health strategy for this population.
Strategic Goals
The strategy sets three goals over five years: house 400 chronically homeless adults with support services; reduce deaths among people experiencing homelessness by one-third; and cut emergency department visits among frequent users by 40%. Each goal has partners, actions and measures.
Strategy Map
The table links goals to partners, actions and measures.
| Goal | Lead partners | Key actions | Measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| House 400 chronically homeless adults | Housing authority, continuum of care, health department | Housing First units, rent supplements, case management | Units filled; housing retention at 12 months |
| Reduce deaths by one-third | Health department, medical examiner, outreach teams | Naloxone, heat outreach, street medicine | Deaths per year; causes |
| Cut frequent emergency visits by 40% | Hospital system, health centers | Medical respite beds, care coordination | Visits per frequent user |
Medical Respite
People experiencing homelessness are often discharged from hospitals to the street, where they cannot recover. The strategy will open 20 medical respite beds with the hospital system, providing short-term recuperative care, medication management and connection to housing. Respite reduces readmissions and serves as a bridge to Housing First.
Street Medicine and Outreach
Two street medicine teams will provide care where people live, including wound care, treatment for chronic disease, buprenorphine for opioid use disorder and vaccinations. Outreach workers will build trust and connect people to housing. Services will be low-barrier, with no requirement for identification or sobriety.
Overdose and Heat Protection
Overdose is the leading cause of death among the county's homeless population. The strategy will distribute naloxone widely, train shelter staff and offer fentanyl test strips. Heat protection includes water distribution, cooling centers open overnight during heat waves and wellness checks on encampments.
Financing
The strategy will draw on Medicaid for health services and care coordination, federal and state housing funds, county general funds, hospital community benefit dollars and overdose settlement funds. The county will seek to use Medicaid options that allow payment for housing-related supports, reducing reliance on one-time grants. A blended funding table will show commissioners how each source supports each goal.
Governance and Voice
People with lived experience of homelessness will hold seats on the strategy's steering committee and be paid for their time. Their input will shape service design, outreach and evaluation. Governance will also include the housing authority, hospital system, health centers and county agencies, with the health department as convener.
The Administrator's Role
No single agency owns homelessness. The health department's administrator must align partners, broker data sharing agreements, secure financing and keep the strategy visible to elected officials. This convening role reflects the chief health strategist function public health leaders are increasingly asked to play.
Equity
Black residents and people with disabilities are overrepresented among the county's homeless population. The strategy will track outcomes by race, disability and gender and will review whether housing placements and services reach groups proportionally.
Risks
Risks include shortages of affordable units, community opposition to housing sites, staff turnover among outreach workers and funding gaps. Responses include partnerships with landlords, early community engagement, competitive pay and a blended funding plan.
Data Sharing
Coordinating care requires sharing information among shelters, outreach teams, hospitals and housing agencies. The strategy will use the continuum of care's homeless management information system linked, with consent, to hospital data. Clear agreements will protect privacy and limit use to care coordination and evaluation.
Measuring Success
Success will be measured by housing placements and retention, deaths and their causes, emergency department visits among frequent users and participants' own ratings of their health and safety. Results will be reported annually to the steering committee and the public, broken down by race, disability and gender.
Community Support
Housing sites often face neighborhood opposition. The strategy will engage neighbors early, share evidence that supportive housing does not harm surrounding areas and highlight residents' stories. Scattered-site units spread across the county reduce concentration and resistance.
Phasing
Year one will open medical respite beds, launch street medicine and secure the first 100 housing units. Years two and three will expand housing to 300 units and integrate data systems. Years four and five will focus on sustainability and full evaluation.
Learning From Other Communities
Several US communities have reduced chronic homelessness through coordinated entry, Housing First and strong landlord partnerships. Site visits and peer learning with those communities will help the county avoid common pitfalls, such as housing people without adequate support services.
Conclusion
A strategy for adults experiencing homelessness must begin with housing and build health services around it. Evidence from Housing First programs and trials supports that approach. With clear goals, a strategy map, medical respite, street medicine, protection from overdose and heat, blended financing and a voice for people with lived experience, the county can reduce deaths and improve health for its most vulnerable residents.
References
Fazel, S., Geddes, J. R., & Kushel, M. (2014). The health of homeless people in high-income countries: Descriptive epidemiology, health consequences, and clinical and policy recommendations. The Lancet, 384(9953), 1529-1540. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61132-6
Stergiopoulos, V., Hwang, S. W., Gozdzik, A., Nisenbaum, R., Latimer, E., Rabouin, D., Adair, C. E., Bourque, J., Connelly, J., Frankish, J., Katz, L. Y., Mason, K., Misir, V., O'Brien, K., Sareen, J., Schütz, C. G., Singer, A., Streiner, D. L., Vasiliadis, H.-M., & Goering, P. N. (2015). Effect of scattered-site housing using rent supplements and intensive case management on housing stability among homeless adults with mental illness. JAMA, 313(9), 905-914. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2015.1163
Tsemberis, S., Gulcur, L., & Nakae, M. (2004). Housing First, consumer choice, and harm reduction for homeless individuals with a dual diagnosis. American Journal of Public Health, 94(4), 651-656. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.94.4.651
What the DPH 840 Module 7 instructions ask for
DPH 840's catalog entry names strategy for vulnerable populations among the administrator's responsibilities, and because Aspen does not publish the module's own prompt, this example builds such a strategy. Vulnerable population papers usually ask you to describe the group and its needs, review evidence, set goals and describe partners, actions, financing and measures. Describe the population with numbers. Cite evidence for your central approach. Map goals to partners, actions and measures in a table. Plan financing from several sources. Include the people affected in governance. Address equity within the population. Consider heat, overdose and discharge practices as well as housing. State who leads and who pays for each part.
How this DPH 840 Module 7 example is built
About a thousand words run through eighteen headings, from the population and its health burden to Housing First evidence and strategic goals. A four-column strategy map follows, then medical respite, street medicine and outreach, overdose and heat protection, financing, governance and voice, the administrator's role, equity and risks. Data sharing, measuring success, community support, phasing and learning from other communities come last. A margin remark shows that describing the population in numbers first shows the strategy responds to need. The conclusion restates the housing-first premise. The strategy map anchors the paper: every later section explains how one of its goals will be reached, financed or measured, and the equity section returns to who the goals must reach.
Where the marks sit in the DPH 840 Module 7 rubric
Strategy papers for vulnerable populations are graded on accurate description of need, strong evidence, coherent goals, realistic partners and financing, and meaningful involvement of the people affected. This paper cites a Lancet review of homeless health, a Housing First study and a randomized trial of scattered-site housing in APA format. The strategy map ties each goal to action and measurement. Financing is blended rather than grant-dependent. Paid seats for people with lived experience show genuine participation, which graders notice. Medical respite and street medicine show how health services can be designed around people's circumstances rather than clinic schedules. Phasing over five years shows the strategy is realistic about how quickly housing can be built.
DPH 840 Module 7 help: mistakes that cost marks
Students often propose services without addressing housing, or set goals no agency owns. Others describe the population in stereotypes rather than data. Use local counts. Put housing at the center. Name the lead partner for each goal. Plan blended financing. Include people with lived experience and pay them. If data sharing rules seem daunting, our tutors can explain consent and privacy options for care coordination. Close with the measure that would show lives are being saved. Visit a shelter or outreach program if you can, with permission, and listen more than you ask. What people describe will sharpen your goals and keep your strategy grounded in their daily reality.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Aspen University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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- DPH 840 Module 6: Health Economics Applied to a Decision
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DPH 840 Module 7 questions, answered
What does DPH 840 Module 7 usually ask for?
Aspen's DPH 840 covers developing strategy including for vulnerable populations, so a strategy for a specific vulnerable group is typical. Follow your classroom prompt.
What is Housing First?
An approach that provides permanent housing without preconditions such as sobriety, then offers support services.
What is medical respite?
Short-term recuperative care for people experiencing homelessness who are too ill to recover on the street but do not need hospitalization.
Where can I find a free DPH 840 Module 7 sample paper?
The homelessness strategy is published above with a strategy map table of goals, partners, actions and measures.
What does a strategy for a vulnerable population include in DPH 840 Module 7?
A description of need, evidence for the core approach, goals with partners, actions and measures, financing, governance that includes the people affected and attention to equity.