The AHAH-PSH Office will coordinate resources, technical assistance and capacity-building efforts to help match AHAH-eligible individuals with community support services (also known as supportive housing or tenancy support services), health care, including behavioral health care and long-term care services and stable housing. Commerce, the Health Care Authority (HCA) and the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) will work with the Coordinating Entity contracted through HCA (Wellpoint) to ensure seamless integration.

The concept for the AHAH initiative is that lack of housing is a social determinant of health, and individuals with disabling conditions such as medical, behavioral health, and physical impairments may not improve until their housing is stable. Thus the “prescription for housing” was coined. However, it is only a concept; no actual prescriptions for housing are being issued.

The AHAH program seeks to demonstrate that wrapping housing supports with rent assistance and affordable housing stock for individuals who have been determined as needing a “prescription of housing” is more effective than the individual navigating the multiple funding sources and limited resources to obtain and maintain their housing. Since FCS is a Medicaid benefit for individuals with a verifiable medical or behavioral health condition who are also at risk for housing instability, including homelessness, FCS is the cornerstone of the AHAH program.