Richard Cho is a managing director with Manatt Health leveraging a deep understanding of the intersection of Medicaid and housing to help clients address policy issues, stakeholder engagement and interagency collaborations at the center of health equity and access to care.
A highly experienced executive in the government and nonprofit sectors, Richard has a wealth of knowledge in housing and homelessness, the social drivers of health, health equity, population health, behavioral health, criminal justice and advancing evidence-based policies. He has been a preeminent voice on the topic of Medicaid’s role in addressing the social drivers of health and using Medicaid funding to pay for health-related social needs, including housing-related case management and services that support transitions to permanent housing.
As the former Senior Advisor for Housing and Services at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Richard developed a key interagency partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to improve coordination of health care, supportive services and housing. He played a crucial role in creating action plans to increase housing access for justice-involved individuals and led strategic efforts to address homelessness nationwide.
In addition to his experience at HUD, Richard has held leadership roles at the Council of State Governments Justice Center and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, where he developed and implemented comprehensive strategies to address homelessness and support vulnerable populations. During his time as Chief Executive Officer of the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, Richard marked significant achievements in strategic planning and emergency response coordination during the COVID-19 pandemic.