Medical respite care bridges critical gap for Californians without housing

For the better part of a decade, Barbara Cheiker made her home in squalid conditions next to a busy Northern California freeway. The hardships were unimaginable. Even as she prevailed in a hard-won battle for sobriety, Cheiker was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and various mental health crises.

Each time she was discharged from a hospital or rehabilitation center, she returned to her place without a plan or an advocate. But last year, after she was treated for a serious cut on her hand that led to a dangerous infection, things went differently.