Duff France was born and raised in Alaska. Coming south with a friend, he found his way to Yakima and wound up homeless, living on the street for five years. “It was the worst time I ever spent,” Duff said.
With the help of the Foundational Community Supports (FCS) program, through Medicaid Transformation, Duff moved into a home and found a job through a partnership between FCS housing and employment services and Yakima Neighborhood Health Services (YNHS). YNHS partnered with the state to provide affordable and accessible housing as part of their mission to end homelessness in their community.
The FCS program offers two targeted benefits that help our most vulnerable beneficiaries get and keep stable housing and employment, in support of their broader health needs:
- Supportive housing provides services that help people get and keep community housing.
- Supported employment services help people overcome barriers to employment so they can get and keep a job.
Duff’s story illustrates the links between good health, stable housing, and successful employment. Along his journey he received support for his health care needs through Washington Apple Health (Medicaid) for adults. Having reliable health coverage gave him one less thing to worry about while he focused on finding stable housing and employment.
To learn more about free or low-cost health care coverage or to see if you qualify, visit Washington Healthplanfinder.