Housing as Medicine: Why Homelessness is a Housing Crisis with Dr. Margot Kushel, UCSF

Corey Dion Lewis sits down with Dr. Margot Kushel, a practicing general internist with over 30 years of experience at San Francisco General Hospital and Director of the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, to explore why homelessness is fundamentally a housing problem—not a healthcare problem—and what this means for medical professionals and communities.

Dr. Kushel shares compelling insights from her three decades of clinical practice and research, revealing how the lack of affordable housing creates impossible situations for healthcare providers trying to treat patients experiencing homelessness. From managing diabetes in a tent to storing insulin without refrigeration, she illustrates why "there is no medicine as powerful as housing."

What You'll Learn:

• Why regions with high homelessness rates are defined by housing affordability, not mental health prevalence
• How structural racism and redlining created the current crisis, with Black Americans 4-5 times overrepresented in homeless populations
• The stark reality: only 36 affordable housing units exist for every 100 extremely low-income households in America
• Why Housing First policies work better than Treatment First approaches, backed by evidence from veteran homelessness reduction
• The hidden homeless population: workers living in cars, college students couch-surfing, and older adults losing housing for the first time
• How the politicization of Housing First policies threatens progress and patient outcomes
• Practical ways healthcare providers can advocate for housing as a health intervention

Key Clinical Insights:

Dr. Kushel explains why treating chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and mental health disorders becomes nearly impossible when patients lack stable housing. She shares real stories from her practice, including a 63-year-old patient who hadn't eaten in four days while fighting eviction, and discusses how readmission penalties unfairly penalize hospitals serving homeless populations.

The Evidence for Housing First:

Learn about the dramatic 85% housing retention rate of Housing First approaches compared to 5-10% success rates of traditional Treatment First models, and why the George W. Bush administration adopted this evidence-based policy. Dr. Kushel also shares findings from California's comprehensive statewide homelessness study, debunking myths about people traveling from other states.

For Medical Professionals:

This episode is essential listening for physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, medical students, residents, community health workers, social workers, case managers, and anyone in healthcare who treats patients experiencing housing instability. Dr. Kushel provides a framework for understanding how to advocate beyond the clinic walls.

About Dr. Margot Kushel:

Dr. Kushel is a physician and researcher who has dedicated her career to understanding and ending homelessness. She directs the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative and the Action Research Center for Health at the University of California, San Francisco. Her research informs policy at local, state, and federal levels.

Resources Mentioned:

• UCSF Benioff Homelessness Initiative: homelessness.ucsf.edu
• California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness
• "There Is No Place" by Brian Goldstone

Episode Takeaway: "There is no medicine as powerful as housing. Homelessness is a housing problem."

Whether you're a healthcare provider frustrated by social determinants of health, a medical student learning about population health, or a community advocate, this conversation will change how you think about the intersection of housing and health.