National Health Care for the Homeless Council

2027 National Health Care for the Homeless Conference & Policy Symposium

The country's largest gathering of the HCH community: practitioners, medical respite providers, advocates, researchers, and people with lived experience of homelessness.

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“I always leave feeling inspired, challenged, and energized.”“I left with a notebook full of notes, a handful of business cards, and a heart full of gratitude.”“There was so much community present.”“I am returning home not only encouraged, but better equipped.”“Already looking forward to next year!”“This year’s National Health Care for the Homeless Council Conference was one of the best!” “I always leave feeling inspired, challenged, and energized.”“I left with a notebook full of notes, a handful of business cards, and a heart full of gratitude.”“There was so much community present.”“I am returning home not only encouraged, but better equipped.”“Already looking forward to next year!”“This year’s National Health Care for the Homeless Council Conference was one of the best!”

The 2027 theme

Grounded in Purpose,
Growing in Impact.

The need has never been greater, but neither has our opportunity to make a difference. For nearly four decades, the Health Care for the Homeless movement has been rooted in the belief that everyone deserves dignity, compassionate health care, and the opportunity to thrive. As homelessness rises, systems evolve, and new challenges emerge, our purpose remains constant.

Grounded in our mission, our values, and our commitment to people experiencing homelessness, we come together to preserve what is essential and build what is possible.

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Days in Baltimore

May 10–13, 2027

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Unique Breakout Sessions

Including Learning Labs & PCIs

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Decision-Makers, Administrators, Clinicians & Consumers

United around quality care & stable housing

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Community

The country’s largest gathering of the HCH community

A packed ballroom at the National Health Care for the Homeless Conference during opening remarks from Council CEO Bobby Watts

Opening Remarks by Bobby Watts, CEO · National Health Care for the Homeless Council

Present at HCH2027

Four ways to share your work.

Accepted presentations will take one of four session formats. The Call for Abstracts closed Friday, October 2, 2026, and submissions are now in review.

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Combined Session

Three 20–25 minute presentations plus a group Q&A in one 90-minute slot.

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Skill-Building Workshop

90 minutes, with audience participation or a large panel that needs the longer format.

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Standard Breakout Session

A focused 60-minute session on your practice, program, or findings.

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Poster Presentation

Share your project visually and talk one-on-one with colleagues during poster sessions.

What happens next →

Next stop

Baltimore Inner Harbor at dusk, seen across the water with the downtown skyline and the National Aquarium

Charm City, here we come

Baltimore,
Maryland

Steps from the Inner Harbor at the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor, HCH2027 lands in a city with deep roots in community health and health justice — and world-class crab cakes.

Plan your trip →

Thank you

Call for Abstracts & Reviewers
Now Closed

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Call for Abstracts

Submissions closed Friday, October 2, 2026. Thank you to everyone who shared their work — abstracts are now in blind review, and submitters will be notified between November 9 and November 30, 2026.

What happens next →

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Call for Reviewers

Reviewer applications are closed. Our volunteer reviewers are scoring abstracts October 5 – November 6, 2026 — thank you for helping shape the HCH2027 program.

See key dates →

Be first to know

Registration opens November 2026.

Sign up for updates on registration, membership discounts, early-bird pricing, scholarships, award nominations, and conference hotel rates.

Sign Up for Council Updates →

Schedule

Key dates for
HCH2027.

Name: 2027 National Health Care for the Homeless Conference & Policy Symposium (HCH2027)
Start: 2027-05-10
End: 2027-05-13
Location: Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor

The 2027 conference runs May 10–13 at the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor. Here is everything that is confirmed so far.

Mark your calendar

Dates & deadlines.

The Call for Abstracts and the Call for Reviewers closed Friday, October 2, 2026. Here is what comes next.

Closed Oct 2, 2026

Call for Abstracts & Reviewers

Abstract submissions and reviewer applications are closed. Thank you to everyone who applied.

Oct 5 – Nov 6, 2026

Review & Scoring

Volunteer reviewers sort, score, and select abstracts. Reviews are blind.

Nov 9 – 30, 2026

Acceptance Notifications

Submitters are notified of acceptance status.

November 2026

Registration Opens

Registration goes live with member and early-bird pricing.

Jan 4, 2027

Awards & Scholarships Open

Award nominations and scholarship applications open.

Jan 29, 2027

Early Bird Deadline

Last day for early-bird registration pricing.

Feb 26, 2027

Nominations Close

Award and Steering Committee nomination deadline.

Apr 23, 2027

Registration Deadline

Final day to register for HCH2027.

May 10–13, 2027

HCH2027 in Baltimore

Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor, 401 W Pratt St, Baltimore, MD 21201.

Coming soon

The official program is on its way.

Session times, plenaries, keynotes, and the full day-by-day agenda will be published here once abstracts have been reviewed and the program is set. Subscribe and we’ll email you the moment it goes live — along with registration, scholarships, and award news.

Subscribe for Updates →

Award recipients standing together on stage at the conference Awards Luncheon

Awards Luncheon · honoring leaders across the movement

Thank you

Call for Abstracts &
Reviewers Now Closed

Thank you to everyone who submitted an abstract or applied to review. Both applications closed Friday, October 2, 2026. Abstracts are now in blind review, and submitters will be notified between November 9 and November 30, 2026.

Subscribe for Updates → See key dates →

Call for Abstracts · Closed

Thank you for sharing your work.

The Call for Abstracts for the 2027 National Health Care for the Homeless Conference & Policy Symposium closed on Friday, October 2, 2026. This event brings together clinicians, researchers, policymakers, advocates, and individuals with lived experience to share knowledge, explore best practices, and advance health outcomes for people experiencing homelessness.

Submissions are now in blind review. Accepted presenters will be notified between November 9 and November 30, 2026, and will receive next steps by email. If selected, presenters are required to pay a discounted registration based on presenter status and organizational membership.

Submission guidelines (for reference)

Abstracts must be no more than 300 words.
Include a clear and concise title — it is used to track submissions after acceptance.
Identify the purpose, methods, results, and implications.
Explain if or how consumers were or will be involved in the project or the presentation.
Explain how your work can be replicated.
You will also be asked for a 50–100 word version of your session description. The longer abstract is used for review and scoring; the shorter version is what appears in the digital and print conference programs.
Enter your name, job title, and organization name exactly as you would like them to appear in the conference program and on your name badge. Please be mindful of spelling, punctuation, and capitalization — we publish what you enter verbatim.
Submissions closed Friday, October 2, 2026.
Accepted presenters will be notified between November 9 and November 30, 2026.
All presenters must register (discounted rates available).

Submissions are closed. Questions about an abstract you submitted? Contact Melissa Lien at [email protected].

Call for Reviewers

Thank you, reviewers.

Reviewer applications are now closed. Thank you to the volunteers from across the HCH community who are helping select the HCH2027 program. Reviews are blind — submitter identities are not shared with reviewers.

Reviewers score abstracts on alignment with the conference theme; consumer involvement and co-presenter participation; relevance to current health and social justice issues; level of evidence; potential for replication; policy implications and impact; inclusion of individuals with lived experience; overall clarity and coherence; and adherence to session format requirements.

Reviewer applications closed Friday, October 2, 2026. Scoring runs October 5 – November 6, 2026.

A presenter standing beside her research poster during the conference poster session

We mean it

Consumer participation encouraged.

The Council affirms the invaluable contributions of people with lived experience. We encourage presentations that actively engage consumers in development and delivery. Consumer presenters may receive assistance with proposal preparation, agencies are encouraged to support consumer travel, and a limited number of subsidies are available.

What we look for

Commitment to mission-centered content.

🌐Use diverse perspectives as drivers of change

📈Show community-defined positive health outcomes

🤝Partner with people with lived experience

🔒Empower communities through responsible data use

🔍Be transparent in reporting practices

🔨Demonstrate actions that improve care, experience, or policy

Questions?

We're here to help.

Melissa Lien, Director of Marketing and Communications
[email protected] · (615) 226-2292, ext. 272

Speakers

Voices that move
a movement.

HCH2027 keynote speakers have not been announced yet.

Marisol Bello speaking from the podium during the opening plenary at the 2026 conference in Orlando — Marisol Bello, Housing Narrative Lab · 2026 opening plenary

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Keynote announcements coming soon

We’re building a main stage worthy of Baltimore. Keynote speakers for HCH2027 will be announced here once confirmed.

Subscribe for Updates →

Beyond the main stage

Hundreds of presenters.
One shared mission.

The heart of the conference is peer-to-peer: frontline clinicians, consumers, researchers, and administrators presenting workshops, posters, and panels. The HCH2027 Call for Abstracts closed October 2, 2026, and submissions are now in review — the program is built from what the field submitted.

See key dates →

Host City

Meet us in
Baltimore.

Charm City brings harborside energy, a storied legacy in public health, one of the most walkable convention districts on the East Coast — and Washington, DC just an hour away.

📅 May 10–13, 2027 🏨 Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor

The venue

Hilton Baltimore
Inner Harbor

401 W Pratt St, Baltimore, MD 21201 — connected to the convention district, overlooking Oriole Park at Camden Yards, and a short stroll from the Inner Harbor promenade.

Please stay tuned for the conference room block and discounted nightly rate — we’ll announce booking links with registration in November 2026. Subscribe and we’ll email you the moment the block opens.

Subscribe for Updates → Hotel website →

Between sessions

Make a week of it.

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Inner Harbor

Baltimore's waterfront heart — promenade views, historic ships, and sunset walks two blocks from the hotel.

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National Aquarium

The harbor's crown jewel and one of the country's great aquariums — perfect for an evening out.

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Camden Yards

Catch an Orioles home game at the ballpark that changed baseball — right across the street.

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Crab Cakes & Chesapeake Eats

From Lexington Market stalls to harborside institutions, Maryland's signature dish is everywhere.

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Fell’s Point

Cobblestone streets, tugboats at the pier, and some of the city’s oldest taverns and live-music rooms.

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Mount Vernon

Baltimore’s cultural heart — the Walters Art Museum, the Peabody Library, and the original Washington Monument.

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Easy to Reach

BWI Airport ~10 miles away; Penn Station Amtrak from the Northeast Corridor; light rail to the door.

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Washington, DC Nearby

The Capitol is about 40 miles down the road — roughly an hour by MARC or Amtrak from Penn Station.

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American Visionary Art Museum

A joyfully strange collection of self-taught outsider art on Federal Hill — unlike any museum you’ve been to.

Why it matters here

An hour from the Capitol.
At the heart of health equity.

Baltimore's community health centers, street outreach teams, and housing advocates have long been leaders in this movement — HCH2027 is a chance to learn with them and from them. And sitting roughly an hour from Washington, DC, Baltimore puts the conference within reach of the Capitol, making it far easier to pair the Policy Symposium with national advocacy on the Hill.

Sponsors & Exhibitors

Power the movement.

Sponsoring HCH2027 puts your organization in front of the nation's HCH community — and directly supports scholarships for attendees with lived experience.

Download the 2027 Prospectus → Request More Information →

Sponsors & Exhibitors

Be where the field gathers.

Sponsors and exhibitors sit in the flow of the conference — breaks, poster sessions, and receptions all happen around them. The 2027 Sponsorship & Exhibitor Prospectus is now available with tiers for every budget.

A representative at the A.T. Still University exhibitor table — Exhibitor booth · A.T. Still University

Two representatives at the Empowerment Plan exhibitor table — Exhibitor booth · Empowerment Plan

A group of attendees posing together in front of the Council step-and-repeat banner holding a Healthcare for All sign — Attendees at the Council photo booth

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2027 Sponsorship & Exhibitor Prospectus Now Available

Explore sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities for HCH2027 in Baltimore, with tiers for every budget. Download the prospectus to see packages, benefits, and pricing — confirmed 2027 sponsors will be posted here.

Download Prospectus (PDF) → Request More Information →

News

Announcements

Updates on HCH2027 as they happen.

Two attendees holding a hand-lettered Healthcare for All speech-bubble sign in front of the Council banner — Healthcare for All · from the Council photo booth

October 5, 2026 · National Health Care for the Homeless Council

Call for Abstracts and Call for Reviewers Now Closed — Thank You

Abstract review for HCH2027 is underway. Submitters will be notified between November 9 and November 30, 2026.

The Call for Abstracts and the Call for Reviewers for the 2027 National Health Care for the Homeless Conference & Policy Symposium closed on Friday, October 2, 2026. Thank you to everyone who submitted an abstract, and to the volunteers who applied to review.

Volunteer reviewers are now scoring submissions through November 6, 2026. Reviews are blind — submitter identities are not shared with reviewers. Submitters will hear back on acceptance status between November 9 and November 30, 2026.

What’s Next

October 5 – November 6, 2026 — abstract review and scoring
November 9 – 30, 2026 — submitters notified of acceptance status
November 2026 — registration opens
May 10 – 13, 2027 — HCH2027 at the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor

Questions

Contact Melissa Lien, Director of Marketing and Communications, at [email protected] or (615) 226-2292, ext. 272.

August 11, 2026 · National Health Care for the Homeless Council

Call for Abstracts and Call for Reviewers Now Open — Apply by Friday, October 2, 2026

Update: Both the Call for Abstracts and the Call for Reviewers closed on October 2, 2026.

Share your work and help shape the program for HCH2027 in Baltimore, May 10–13, 2027.

The National Health Care for the Homeless Council invites you to help build the program for the 2027 National Health Care for the Homeless Conference & Policy Symposium, taking place May 10–13, 2027 at the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Maryland.

Our 2027 theme is Grounded in Purpose, Growing in Impact. Two opportunities are open now, and both close on Friday, October 2, 2026.

Submit an Abstract

We are accepting proposals across six tracks and four session formats, including combined sessions, skill-building workshops, standard breakouts, and poster presentations. Whether you work in clinical care, outreach, policy, research, or lived-experience leadership, we want to hear what you have learned.

Submissions closed October 2, 2026.

Serve as an Abstract Reviewer

Reviewers read and score submitted abstracts between October 5 and November 6, 2026. It is a meaningful way to shape the conference program, and both Council members and non-members are welcome to apply. Reviews are blind — submitter identities are not shared with reviewers.

Reviewer applications closed October 2, 2026.

Key Dates

Friday, October 2, 2026 — abstract submission and reviewer application deadline
October 5 – November 6, 2026 — abstract review and scoring
November 9 – 30, 2026 — submitters notified of acceptance status
May 10 – 13, 2027 — HCH2027 at the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor

Questions

Contact Melissa Lien, Director of Marketing and Communications, at [email protected] or (615) 226-2292, ext. 272.

More announcements — keynotes, registration, scholarships and awards — will be posted here as they are confirmed.

Subscribe for Updates →

Registration

Opening
November 2026.

Registration for HCH2027 hasn't opened yet. Join the interest list and you'll get early-bird pricing, membership discounts, scholarship and award announcements, and hotel booking links the moment they go live.

Subscribe for Updates →

🎫

2027 Rates Coming Soon

Registration categories and pricing for HCH2027 — including member discounts and early-bird savings — will be announced when registration opens in November 2026. Please stay tuned.

Subscribe for Updates →

Mark your calendar