Illumination Foundation Receives $3.5 Million Grant from CalOptima Health for Children and Families Recuperative Care Program for Families Experiencing Homelessness
CalOptima Health Board members present Illumination Foundation Board members and CEO $3.5 million grant check for Illumination Foundation’s Children and Families Recuperative Care. (Left to right front row) Illumination Foundation Board Members Mike Haynes, Dr. Geeta Grover, Illumination Foundation CEO Dr. Pooja Bhalla, Dr. Bradley Gilbert, and Dr. Greg Buchert.
(Far right) Michael Hunn, CEO of CalOptima Health.
SANTA ANA, Calif., June 25, 2024 – Illumination Foundation, a nonprofit organization with the mission to disrupt the cycle of homelessness, is pleased to announce that it received a $3.5 million grant from CalOptima Health to acquire, renovative, and expand a property in Santa Ana that will serve as the nation's first recuperative care for children and families experiencing homelessness. This funding is part of $25 million in community grants for transitional housing projects awarded by the CalOptima Health Board of Directors to address homelessness in Orange County.
Illumination Foundation's Children and Families Recuperative Care Program will provide transitional housing to medically vulnerable homeless children and their families. The program will offer a safe haven for children to recover from illness or injury post-hospitalization while addressing the complex challenges faced by their families. By providing comprehensive case management, housing services, and trauma-informed supportive services on-site, Illumination Foundation will create a nurturing environment for families to heal and stabilize.
“We are grateful to CalOptima for their unwavering support and leadership in helping Illumination Foundation establish a post-hospital recuperative care program for children and families experiencing homelessness,” Illumination Foundation Chief Executive Officer Dr. Pooja Bhalla said. “This program will fill a critical need for vulnerable families and help build healthier, more resilient communities.”
CalOptima Health’s grants are tied to participation in California’s Housing and Homelessness Incentive Program (HHIP), which allows the health plan to fund transitional housing, permanent supportive housing, expanded community-based services, projects that support systems change and equity grants for organizations to build capacity. HHIP aims to prevent and address housing insecurity for Medi-Cal members by ensuring those experiencing homelessness have a clear path into housing and can access the services needed to remain housed.
“This grant for Illumination Foundation will deliver life-changing transitional housing services for many individuals and families in Orange County who have struggled to navigate the complex system of homeless services and housing,” said Michael Hunn, CEO of CalOptima Health. “Simply put, housing is health. Stable housing is the very foundation for accessing medical and behavioral health services.”
Illumination Foundation provides housing and healthcare to those experiencing homelessness. Illumination Foundation served nearly 7,000 people in 2023 through their two navigation centers/shelters, five family emergency homes, seven recuperative care centers, two multi-service centers, micro-communities, housing programs, and other community support services.
About Illumination Foundation
Illumination Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that provides targeted, interdisciplinary services for the most vulnerable homeless adults and children in order to disrupt the cycle of homelessness. The organization provides a full continuum of care from street to home, including case management, medical coordination, behavioral health and substance use counseling, and housing navigation to our vulnerable clients in shelters/navigation centers, family emergency homes, recuperative care/medical respite facilities, and permanent supportive housing. https://www.ifhomeless.org
About CalOptima Health
A county organized health system, CalOptima Health provides quality health care coverage for low-income children, adults, seniors and people with disabilities in Orange County, California. CalOptima Health’s mission is to serve member health with excellence and dignity, respecting the value and needs of each person. CalOptima Health serves more than 928,000 members with a network of 10,900 primary care doctors and specialists and 39 acute and rehab hospitals. www.caloptima.org
