Joshua's House Provides Hospice for Homeless Residents

The South Natomas facility offers free end-of-life care for those without housing, filling a critical gap in local support.

Updated on Oct. 24, 2026 in Eldercare

Joshua's House Provides Hospice for Homeless Residents

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Should your community expand access to hospice care for people experiencing homelessness?

Joshua's House in South Natomas now provides hospice care to homeless individuals, offering a compassionate alternative to dying on the street. The facility operates six cottages that can accommodate up to 15 patients at a time.

Why it matters

With over 100 homeless individuals dying on Sacramento County streets in 2025, this facility addresses a critical gap in end-of-life care for vulnerable populations. It provides medical and emotional support that is otherwise unavailable to those without housing.

Joshua's House raised $3.5 million to build the South Natomas facility without taxpayer funding. The program offers a sustainable care model, contrasting the $230 daily hospice reimbursement rate against the $3,000 to $5,000 daily cost of acute hospital care.

The players

Joshua's House

A South Natomas hospice facility and the first of its kind on the West Coast dedicated to end-of-life care for the homeless.

Curtis Burdan

A patient at the facility who previously experienced homelessness for over a decade and is currently receiving end-of-life support.

The details

The facility provides end-of-life care through a team of professionals who manage medical, personal, and emotional needs. Patients receive care within six private-room cottages, creating a stable environment for those with limited health prospects, such as individuals with severely reduced heart function. This private-funding model allows the center to serve those who fall outside standard care systems.

Timeline

  1. 2012: Curtis Burdan began living on the streets before eventually finding care at Joshua's House.

  2. 2025: More than 100 homeless individuals died in Sacramento County.

  3. Five months: The duration that Curtis Burdan has resided at the facility for hospice care.

The Home Front

The development of Joshua's House signals a shift toward specialized care facilities for the unhoused within the regional social safety net. It operates independently of standard taxpayer-funded health infrastructure, reflecting a growing private-sector response to local housing-related mortality trends.

Those interested in supporting local hospice efforts or learning about the facility's mission can monitor future expansion updates regarding the three planned cottages. Families can also track local health outreach programs that connect vulnerable residents with professional, hospice-level support.

The takeaway

Joshua's House demonstrates that private, community-focused initiatives can effectively provide dignified end-of-life care for the unhoused. Residents can support this model by staying informed on future capacity expansions intended to serve more individuals in the Sacramento area.

Further reading

For more on how local families navigate end-of-life transitions, see Eldercare.

Source note: This article includes information reported by KCRA.

Live Poll

Should your community expand access to hospice care for people experiencing homelessness?