Community Supports
What are Community Supports?
Community Supports (CS) are special care options for SFHP Medi-Cal members. CS can help you stay healthy and prevent future costly visits to the hospital. You may be able to get CS if you are eligible.
Which Community Supports are offered by SFHP?
Right now, SFHP offers these Community Supports:
- Sobering Centers that are safe places to get sober. You can get help such as a short-term bed, food, shower, and other social services.
- Medical Respite (also known as Recuperative Care) where you can heal from an injury or illness. You can get help such as a short-term bed, food, and other mental and physical health care.
- Medically Tailored Meals are meals, groceries, or vouchers you can get at no cost. These options can keep you healthy.
- Housing Transition Services can help you find safe housing to live in. You can also get help with moving or help to keep your current home.
- Environmental Accessibility Adaptations (also known as Home Modifications) are changes to your home that will help you live safely and independently. Examples of environmental accessibility adaptions to your home include:
- Ramps
- Making doorways wider for wheelchair access
- Stair lifts
- Making the bathroom and shower wheelchair accessible
- Housing Deposits cover one-time move-in costs for members who found a home through Housing Navigation Services.
- Housing Tenancy and Sustaining Services support you in keeping safe and stable tenancy once housing is secured.
- Nursing Facility Transition to a Home can help you find housing and assist with housing needs. This service is for members living in a nursing facility or who have been in medical respite for 60 or more days, and who want to safely transition to the community and need support to do so.
- Respite Services can help if your regular caregiver is temporarily away and unable to care for you.
- Nursing Facility Transition/Diversion to Assisted Living Facilities can help you find an assisted living facility and move into one if you now live in a nursing facility.
To learn more about Community Supports, please call our Community Supports Intake Line at 1(415) 615-4501 or talk with your Primary Care Provider (PCP).
For more information, call SFHP Customer Service at 1(415) 547-7800, 1(800) 288-5555 (toll-free), or 1(888) 883-7347 (TTY), Monday – Friday, from 8:30am – 5:30pm.
Community Supports Eligibility
You can get different Community Supports based on your needs.
Who can get Medical Respite (Recuperative Care)?
Right now, you can get Medical Respite (Recuperative Care) if you:
- Are at risk of going to a hospital or just got released from a hospital.
- Have no housing OR are at risk of losing your housing, AND have at least 1 of the following:
- Are getting Enhanced Care Management (ECM)
- Have 1 or more serious chronic conditions
- Have a serious mental illness
- Have a substance use disorder
- Are at risk for overdose or going to a hospital
- Are age 16-26 with a history of either foster care, the criminal justice system, serious mental illness, serious emotional experience, trafficking, or domestic violence
Who can go to a Sobering Center?
You may be able to go to a Sobering Center if you are:
- Age 18 and older
- Not sober but conscious
- Not violent
- Able to move from place to place
- Not in a medical emergency such as life-threatening withdrawal
Who can get Medically Tailored Meals?
You can get Medically Tailored Meals if you:
- Have a chronic condition such as, but not limited to:
- Diabetes
- Cardiovascular (heart) disorders
- Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
- Cancer
- Mental or behavioral health disorders
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Have been released from a hospital or other facility
- Have many health care needs
You can choose one of the following options:
- 2 meals per day, for up to 12 weeks
- 2 boxes of groceries per week, for up to 12 weeks
- Vouchers weekly, for up to 12 weeks
- A combination of 1 meal per day and 1 grocery box per week (from same provider) for up to 12 weeks
Meals, groceries, or vouchers beyond the 12 weeks must be approved by SFHP and only if medically necessary.
Who can get Housing Transition Services?
You can get support with housing if you are in 1 of these 3 groups:
1. Are prioritized for a permanent supportive housing unit or rental subsidy through San Francisco’s Coordinated Entry System.
2. Are experiencing homelessness and one of the following:
- Are receiving Enhanced Care Management
- Have a disability.
- Have 1 or more serious chronic condition or mental illness.
- Have a substance use disorder.
- Are at risk of going to a treatment facility.
- Were just released from jail, a hospital, or other facility
3. Are at risk of homelessness and have one of the following:
- Are receiving Enhanced Care Management
- Have a disability.
- Have 1 or more serious chronic condition or mental illness.
- Have a substance use disorder.
- Are at risk of going to a treatment facility.
- Are age 16-26 years (inclusive) with a past of foster care, the criminal justice system, mental illness, serious emotional trauma, trafficking, or domestic violence.
At risk of homelessness means that you have one of the following:
- Have a yearly income of less than 30% of the local median family income.
- No support system such as family, friends, or help from a church, and
- Moved 2 or more times in the last 60 days.
- Are living in some other person’s home.
- Have been told to leave your place in the next 21 days.
- Live in a hotel or motel that is not paid for by a program.
- Live in a single-room occupancy (SRO) with 2 more people.
- Live in a house that has more than 1.5 people per room.
- Just left a facility such as a hospital, jail, foster care, etc.
Who can get Environmental Accessibility Adaptions Services?
- Members who might go to a nursing facility.
Who can get Housing Deposit Services?
You can get support with Housing Deposits if you are receiving Housing Transition Navigation Community Support Service and have one of the following:
1. Are prioritized for a permanent supportive housing unit or rental subsidy through San Francisco’s Coordinated Entry System OR
2. Are experiencing homelessness and one of the following:
- Are receiving Enhanced Care Management
- Have a disability.
- Have 1 or more serious chronic condition or mental illness.
- Have a substance use disorder.
- Are at risk of going to a treatment facility.
- Were just released from jail, a hospital, or other facility.
Who can get Housing Tenancy and Sustaining Services?
You can get support with Housing Tenancy if you:
- Received Housing Transition Navigation Services Community Support
- Are prioritized for a permanent supportive housing unit or rental subsidy through San Francisco’s Coordinated Entry System.
- Are experiencing homelessness and one of the following:
- Are receiving Enhanced Care Management
- Have a disability.
- Have 1 or more serious chronic condition or mental illness.
- Have a substance use disorder.
- Are at risk of going to a treatment facility.
- Were just released from jail, a hospital, or other facility.
- Are at risk of homelessness and have one of the following:
- Are receiving Enhanced Care Management
- Have a disability.
- Have 1 or more serious chronic condition or mental illness.
- Have a substance use disorder.
- Are at risk of going to a treatment facility.
- Are age 16-26 years (inclusive) with a past of foster care, the criminal justice system, mental illness, serious emotional trauma, trafficking, or domestic violence.
- At risk of homelessness means that you have one of the following:
- Have a yearly income of less than 30% of the local median family income.
- No support system such as family, friends, or help from a church, and
- Moved 2 or more times in the last 60 days.
- Are living in some other person’s home.
- Have been told to leave your place in the next 21 days.
- Live in a hotel or motel that is not paid for by a program.
- Live in a single-room occupancy (SRO) with 2 more people.
- Live in a house that has more than 1.5 people per room.
- Just left a facility such as a hospital, jail, foster care, etc.
Who can get Nursing Facility Transition to a Home Services?
You can get support transitioning from a nursing facility or medical respite site to a home if you:
- Are currently receiving a medically necessary level of Care (LOC) services and choosing to transition from a nursing facility or medical respite
- Lived 60+ days in a nursing home or medical respite setting
- Are interested in moving back to the community and can do so safely
Who can get Respite Services?
You can get Respite Services if:
- You live in the community and need a caregiver to help you with your daily activities.
- Your regular caregiver is away.
Who can get Nursing Facility Transition/Diversion to Assisted Living Facility Services?
You can get Nursing Facility Transition/Diversion to Assisted Living Facility Services if:
- You lived in a nursing facility for 60 days or more.
- You want to move to an assisted living facility.
- You can safely live in an assisted living facility with help and support.
You can get help moving from your home to an assisted living facility if:
- You want to stay in the community where you live.
- You want to live in an assisted living facility.
- You get nursing care but want to get care from an assisted living facility.
How do eligible Medi-Cal members get Community Supports services?
You can be referred to Community Supports by:
- Your Enhanced Care Management (ECM) provider
- Primary Care Provider (PCP)
- Social services providers
- Other providers
- Yourself or a family member
To see if you can get Community Supports, talk with your intake coordinator and/or Customer Service at 1(415) 547-7800.
Cost
You can get Enhanced Care Management and Community Supports at no cost as part of your Medi-Cal benefits.
Can members receive multiple Community Supports?
Yes, you may be able to use one or more Community Supports at the same time. Members who are eligible for Enhanced Care Management can often get 1 or more Community Supports.