Providing better access to health care is a key part of helping the homeless in metro Atlanta, according to a report released Tuesday by the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta.

The report by the nonprofit charity said health issues can serve as a path into homelessness and that health care can help a person out of homelessness. Stressing that infection, poor nutrition, mental illness, addiction and disease are problems for many people who are homeless, the report focused on the work done by several metro programs.

"We don't believe that health is the only condition that affects the homeless in Atlanta, but we do believe that we can get more people off the streets and in more appropriate potential living situations by focusing on health issues," said Lesley Grady, vice president of the nonprofit's community partnerships.

The report notes that estimates on the number of homeless in metro Atlanta range from 12,000 to 20,000 people on any given day.

The foundation has provided grants to community agencies to help connect homeless people to health care. For instance, the Crossroads Community Ministries and Grady Memorial Hospital focus on improving discharge planning for chronically homeless clients when they leave Grady. The program places them in stable housing, and coordinates health services to prevent their returning to the hospital, the report said.

The foundation is participating in a Recuperative Care Pilot Project led by St. Joseph's Mercy Care in partnership with Grady and the Gateway Center. This project will establish 23 recuperative care beds for homeless patients to convalesce for up to 30 days after discharge from Grady hospital.

"We know that providing recuperative care for these patients will not only keep them healthier in the long term, but it will also keep costs down from continued revisits to the emergency room," says David Gibbs, a consultant on the nonprofit's work on homelessness.