We’re thrilled to share a major milestone for The INN Between and for our community: we have officially been recognized as a Certified Medical Respite Care Program by the National Health Care for the Homeless Council (NHCHC) through its National Institute for Medical Respite Care (NIMRC).
As the NHCHC shared in their announcement:
“The INN Between is proud to be recognized as a Certified Medical Respite Care Program by the National Health Care for the Homeless Council. Our program provides compassionate medical and end-of-life care for individuals experiencing homelessness, ensuring dignity, safety, and healing when it’s needed most.”
This recognition affirms what our residents, partners, and staff already know: that people experiencing homelessness deserve a safe place to heal, recover, and—when the time comes—die with dignity.
What is Medical Respite Care?
Medical respite care (sometimes called recuperative care) provides short-term residential care for people experiencing homelessness who are too sick or frail to recover on the streets, but not sick enough to remain in a hospital.
It bridges a critical gap in the healthcare system by offering:
- a safe, home-like environment for rest and recovery
- coordinated clinical and supportive care
- help navigating follow-up appointments, medications, and benefits
- support with housing and longer-term stability
At The INN Between, medical respite is intertwined with our hospice and end-of-life mission. We exist to ensure that no one dies alone or outside, and that serious illness doesn’t become a street sentence.
What Does Certification Mean — and Why Does It Matter?
NIMRC certification is a voluntary national credential that recognizes medical respite programs meeting rigorous, field-defined standards for quality, safety, and person-centered care. The certification process is rooted in the Standards for Medical Respite Care Programs, developed by national experts and respite providers to create consistency and excellence across diverse models of care.
Certification signals that a program:
- provides high-quality post-acute clinical care
- manages safe and timely transitions from hospitals or community settings
- delivers wraparound services that support whole-person healing
- ensures strong discharge planning and care transitions after respite
For our residents, this means reassurance that The INN Between is not only compassionate — but also aligned with the strongest national practices in medical respite.
For our partners and funders, certification provides an external validation that our care model is effective, accountable, and built for long-term impact.
How This Reflects Our Mission
Since our founding, The INN Between has been designed to meet a reality too many people face: serious illness without a home. Our program offers a place where residents can:
- recover from illness or injury
- stabilize after hospitalization
- access hospice care in a supportive setting
- regain strength and pursue housing when ready
NIMRC certification is an affirmation of that approach — and of the daily work our team does to provide safety, dignity, and healing.
It also reflects the partnerships that make our care possible: hospitals, hospice agencies, shelters, clinics, and community supporters who believe that healthcare should never depend on housing status.
Gratitude to the People Who Made This Possible
This milestone belongs to so many:
To our staff: thank you for building a culture of tenderness and excellence, even in the hardest moments. Your work is the reason this care model thrives.
To our healthcare and hospice partners: your collaboration ensures residents get the clinical support they need without losing their humanity in the process.
To our donors, volunteers, and advocates: your belief in this mission is why we can keep expanding what compassionate care looks like.
And most of all, to our residents — past and present — who entrust us with their healing journeys. You are at the heart of everything we do.
Looking Ahead
Certification isn’t a finish line. It’s a foundation for what comes next.
As demand for medical respite continues to grow nationwide, we’re committed to:
- strengthening our clinical and supportive services
- ensuring safe, dignified recuperation for every resident
- advancing the national conversation about homelessness and healthcare
- expanding access so fewer people are forced to recover—or die—outside
This recognition positions The INN Between as part of a national movement to create places to heal — and to make sure homelessness is never a barrier to recovery.
Join Us
If you want to learn more about medical respite certification and the national standards guiding this work, NHCHC has more information here.
And if you want to help The INN Between continue this life-saving mission, we invite you to:
- share our story
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - support our residents through giving or volunteering
Because everyone deserves a safe place to heal — and a dignified place to rest.