Advancing Compassionate End-of-Life Care.
Because no one should die on the streets.
Mission & Vision
Homeless at the End is dedicated to helping individuals and communities create hospice programs for people experiencing homelessness, because no one should suffer and die on the streets. We envision a world where everyone has access to housing, medical care, comfort, and dignity at the end of life.
Board of Directors
Kimberlin Correa, Founder and CEO. Founding Executive Director (retired) of The INN Between.
Tara Rollins, Vice Chair. Executive Director of the Utah Housing Coalition.
Ed Blake. Nonprofit Consultant and former CEO of Habitat for Humanity Greater Salt Lake Area.
Chris Pendleton. Retired Fire Service Chief and Paramedic; Partner at Via Elegante Assisted Living.
Russ Wall. Retired Mayor of Taylorsville, Utah.
Goals
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Raise Awareness about the tragic circumstances terminally ill people endure on the streets and the impact on communities.
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Inspire People to Action through stories.
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Create Toolkits for the four hospice delivery models.
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Create a Coalition of end-of-life care providers for the homeless.​
The Need
On a single night in January 2023, more than 653,000 people experienced homelessness in the U.S., a 12.1% increase over the prior year.
Tens of thousands of people experiencing homelessness are diagnosed with terminal illnesses every year. The diagnoses predominantly mirror those of the general population: cancer; lung, heart, and liver disease; and uncontrolled diabetes.
Most of us, when diagnosed with a terminal illness, will undergo treatment until the time comes that we determine it is best to let nature take its course. At this point, we will transition into home-based hospice care.
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However, people who lack housing not only lack access to hospice care (because they have no home in which to receive it), they also lack access to medical interventions to cure their disease. Homeless individuals may not qualify for cancer treatment because they do not have a place to rest and recover from the treatment itself.
Homeless shelters are not set up or licensed to provide the 24/7 bed access and care needed by people who are undergoing cancer treatment and other intensive medical interventions. At the end of life, hospice agencies cannot provide care in a shelter setting due to licensing restrictions and the lack of 24/7 bed access, caregiver support, and medication management services.
Chronically homeless people die 30 years earlier (age 50 on average) than the average American, due in part to their lack of access to quality sleep, good nutrition, and healthy lifestyle habits. This is equivalent to the average age of death in 1900.
Because most chronically homeless people lack a family support system, they suffer on the streets, enduring increasing pain, anxiety, and loneliness as their disease progresses. Tragically, most die on the streets, alone and in dire circumstances.
This horrific scenario is common in most cities across the country because only a few end-of-life care centers for the homeless exist: Chattanooga, TN; Salt Lake City, UT; Phoenix, AZ; and soon Sacramento, CA.