Enrolling without an address
State Medicaid agencies accept applications from people experiencing homelessness. You can list a shelter, a clinic, a friend's address or general delivery at a post office as your mailing address, and caseworkers are used to this.
If a worker tells you an address is mandatory, ask to speak to a supervisor or get help from a Health Care for the Homeless clinic, which does this daily.
Where to be seen
Health Care for the Homeless projects and street medicine teams are designed for people without stable housing. They provide primary care, wound care, mental health and substance-use support, often with walk-in access and no charge.
- Health Care for the Homeless projects, found through your local community health center
- Street medicine teams that treat people where they are
- Shelter-based clinics and drop-in centers
- Emergency departments for anything urgent, which must screen and stabilise you
- 211 for local referrals to all of the above
Documents and staying reachable
Missing ID slows enrolment more than anything else. Shelters, legal aid clinics and outreach workers routinely help replace birth certificates, state ID and Social Security cards, and fee waivers exist in many states.
Ask a shelter or clinic whether they will hold post for you, and give that address consistently on every application so notices do not get lost.