Last Updated: September 2, 2026
If you have Medi-Cal and are experiencing homelessness, you may be able to receive more help than you realize.
“Can CalAIM help me find housing if I am homeless?”
The answer is possibly yes, depending on your eligibility and the services available through your Medi-Cal health plan.
Through California’s CalAIM (California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal) initiative, eligible Medi-Cal members may be able to receive care management and housing-related Community Supports.
CalAIM does not automatically give every homeless Medi-Cal member an apartment or pay everyone’s rent. Instead, eligible members may receive help finding housing, paying certain move-in costs, staying housed, coordinating medical care, or accessing other supportive services.
Do I Have to Enroll in CalAIM?
Usually, you do not submit a separate application to become a “CalAIM member.”
CalAIM is a broad transformation of California’s Medi-Cal program. If you are enrolled in a Medi-Cal managed care plan, you may be evaluated for specific CalAIM-related services.
- Enhanced Care Management (ECM)
- Community Supports
- Housing-related Community Supports
- Recuperative Care
- Other health-related supportive services, when eligible
If you are homeless or at risk of homelessness, the best place to start is usually your Medi-Cal managed care health plan.
1. What Is Enhanced Care Management (ECM)?
Enhanced Care Management, or ECM, is a Medi-Cal benefit for eligible members with complex medical, behavioral health, and social needs.
People experiencing homelessness may be among the populations considered for ECM if they meet the applicable eligibility requirements.
If you qualify, you may be connected with a Lead Care Manager who can help coordinate services such as:
- Primary care and specialty care
- Behavioral health services
- Substance use disorder treatment
- Medications
- Social services
- Community resources
- Housing-related services
- Follow-up after hospital visits
ECM does not automatically provide housing. Its purpose is to help eligible members coordinate their health care and connect them with appropriate medical, behavioral health, and social services.
2. Can CalAIM Help Me Find Housing?
Possibly, yes.
Medi-Cal Community Supports include several services that may help eligible members who are experiencing homelessness or housing instability.
One of the most important is Housing Transition Navigation Services.
This service may help eligible members:
- Search for available housing
- Identify housing programs and resources
- Complete housing applications
- Gather documents needed for housing
- Communicate with landlords
- Identify rental assistance or housing subsidy resources
- Address barriers that may make it difficult to obtain housing
Housing Transition Navigation Services can help you navigate the process of finding and securing housing. It does not mean Medi-Cal simply gives you a house or apartment.
3. Can CalAIM Help With a Security Deposit or Move-In Costs?
Another Community Support is called Housing Deposits.
For eligible members who are moving into housing, this benefit may help with certain one-time costs needed to establish the household.
Depending on eligibility and applicable program rules, assistance may include certain costs such as:
- Security deposits
- Utility setup costs
- Certain eligible move-in expenses
- Some household items needed for safe occupancy
- Certain medically necessary items related to establishing the home
This can be especially helpful for someone who has found housing but does not have enough money to cover eligible upfront move-in costs.
4. What Happens After I Find Housing?
Finding housing is only part of the challenge.
Some people who have experienced homelessness need additional support to remain housed.
CalAIM includes a Community Support called Housing Tenancy and Sustaining Services.
For eligible members, this service may help with:
- Communicating with landlords
- Addressing tenancy problems
- Helping with housing recertification
- Connecting with community resources
- Addressing problems that could threaten housing stability
The goal is not only to help someone obtain housing, but also to help eligible members remain safely and stably housed.
5. Does Medi-Cal Pay My Monthly Rent?
This is one of the most important things to understand.
Being homeless and having Medi-Cal does not automatically mean Medi-Cal will pay your regular monthly rent.
Housing Transition Navigation Services, Housing Deposits, and Housing Tenancy and Sustaining Services are different from long-term rental assistance programs such as Section 8.
California also has certain housing-related Medi-Cal services, including Transitional Rent for some eligible members.
Transitional Rent has specific eligibility requirements and should not be understood as a general rent-payment program for every Medi-Cal member experiencing homelessness.
If you are homeless, ask your Medi-Cal health plan whether you may qualify for Transitional Rent or another housing-related Community Support.
6. What If I Just Left the Hospital and Have Nowhere to Go?
Another Community Support may be especially helpful in this situation.
Recuperative Care, also called Medical Respite, may be available to certain eligible Medi-Cal members who no longer need to stay in a hospital but still need a safe place to recover.
This service may provide short-term residential care while a person continues recovering from an illness or injury.
Other post-hospitalization housing-related services may also be available depending on eligibility and the member’s Medi-Cal health plan.
7. Can I Get Community Supports If I Do Not Qualify for ECM?
Potentially, yes.
You do not necessarily have to qualify for Enhanced Care Management in order to receive Community Supports.
Community Supports have their own eligibility requirements.
“Can you also check whether I qualify for Community Supports?”
If you are experiencing homelessness, specifically ask about the housing-related Community Supports available through your plan.
8. How Do I Ask for CalAIM Help?
Start by calling the Member Services number on your Medi-Cal health plan card.
You can simply say:
You can also ask:
Tell the health plan about your current living situation.
- Living on the street
- Living in a car
- Staying in a shelter
- Moving between temporary places
- At risk of losing your housing
- Leaving a hospital without stable housing
- Recently leaving another institutional setting
- Having serious medical or behavioral health needs while homeless
Your circumstances can help the health plan determine which services may be appropriate.
9. Does Being Homeless Automatically Mean I Qualify?
No.
Experiencing homelessness may make you potentially eligible for certain CalAIM services, but it does not automatically guarantee approval for every service.
Each service has its own eligibility and medical-appropriateness requirements.
Available services may also depend on:
- Your Medi-Cal managed care plan
- Your County
- Your medical or behavioral health needs
- Your housing situation
- The specific Community Support being requested
Do not assume that you are automatically approved or automatically disqualified. Ask your health plan to evaluate you for the specific services that may apply to your situation.
A Simple Example
Maria has Medi-Cal and has been sleeping in her car.
She also has several medical conditions and has difficulty keeping doctor appointments because she does not have stable housing.
Maria contacts her Medi-Cal health plan and asks to be evaluated for Enhanced Care Management and Community Supports.
If she qualifies, an ECM care manager may help coordinate her medical care and connect her with appropriate services.
Housing Transition Navigation Services may help her search and apply for housing.
If she later secures housing and meets the applicable requirements, Housing Deposits may help with certain eligible move-in costs.
After she moves in, Housing Tenancy and Sustaining Services may help her address problems that could threaten her housing stability.
Not simply by “giving someone a house,” but by connecting eligible Medi-Cal members with care management, housing navigation, and other health-related supportive services.
Where Can I Check What My Medi-Cal Plan Offers?
The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) provides information about Enhanced Care Management and Community Supports.
You can also call your Medi-Cal health plan and ask specifically about:
- Enhanced Care Management (ECM)
- Housing Transition Navigation Services
- Housing Deposits
- Housing Tenancy and Sustaining Services
- Recuperative Care
- Transitional Rent
- Other available Community Supports
What Should I Say When I Call My Health Plan?
You do not need to know every CalAIM rule before calling.
A simple request is enough:
If the representative does not recognize the general term “CalAIM,” ask specifically for Enhanced Care Management and Community Supports.
The Bottom Line
If you are experiencing homelessness and have Medi-Cal, do not assume Medi-Cal can only help with doctor visits.
Through CalAIM, eligible members may have access to services that address some of the health-related challenges associated with homelessness.
Depending on eligibility, you may be able to receive help:
- Finding and applying for housing
- Paying certain eligible move-in costs
- Maintaining stable housing
- Coordinating medical and behavioral health care
- Recovering safely after hospitalization
- Connecting with community and social services
Call the Member Services number on your Medi-Cal health plan card and ask to be evaluated for Enhanced Care Management and housing-related Community Supports.
Official Resources
California DHCS — Enhanced Care Management & Community Supports
View DHCS Enhanced Care Management and Community Supports
California DHCS — Community Supports Search Tool
Check Community Supports by Health Plan and County
California Department of Health Care Services — CalAIM
Learn More About CalAIM
California Benefits Guide is an independent informational website and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), Medi-Cal, any County agency, Medi-Cal managed care plan, housing authority, or other government agency. This article is provided for general educational and informational purposes only and does not provide legal, medical, insurance, housing, or Medi-Cal eligibility advice. CalAIM, Enhanced Care Management, Community Supports, housing-related services, Transitional Rent, eligibility rules, available benefits, and participating health plans may vary by County, health plan, and individual circumstances and may change. Always confirm current eligibility, coverage, and available services directly with DHCS, your Medi-Cal health plan, your County Medi-Cal office, or another appropriate agency.