285 Administrators, 273 clinicians, and 156 consumers responded to the survey portion of our recently-completed HCH Knowledge and Skills Needs Assessment. We are grateful for their honest input, and especially for the strength of our neighbors without homes who participated in this work.

This document will help guide the National HCH Council as we develop training and technical assistance to support and improve health care delivery and public policy.  It is especially timely because HCH is poised to expand dramatically with new resources provided through national health reform, and part of our work will be training a growing work force to intervene effectively in the complex relationship between homelessness and poor health. The needs assessment will play a key role in the Fall Planning Retreat of our Governing Membership during the first week of October.

The annual National HCH Conference and Policy Symposium is always successful because of broad participation in planning and presenting the event.  The Core Planning Committee for the Conference will select workshops from proposals that are being accepted through October 20.  The proposal process is key to sharing your expertise and knowledge with an enthusiastic national audience - please click here for more information about submitting your proposal.

A fully-accredited HCH Regional Training will occur in Nashville on November 3-4.  Each workshop promotes the goal of inclusion, including sessions on

• Motivational Interviewing techniques that promote client self-determination;
• Outreach techniques that engage disaffiliated people; and
• Making Medical Home arrangements work for people without homes.

Please look at the full agenda, plan to participate with us, and register here.  Also watch for more Regional HCH Trainings in Denver and Boston in early 2011.

Inclusion does not happen automatically - our work for inclusion depends on your participation and financial support. If you are not already a Member of the Council, please join us by clicking here.  Membership is free to individuals, and inexpensive for Organizations.

Our work for inclusion does not come free, either, and we need your personal financial support as well as your participation.  Please contribute financially to the National HCH Council; please click here to make your tax-deductible contribution.