healthcare in the spirit of generous excellence
01 United Way of the Midlands-Basic & Material Needs read
02 A Growing Need-Children Living in Homeless Shelters read
03 Local Homeless Challenges and Facts read
04 Homelessness in America Today read
05 National Estimates of Homelessness read
06 People Need Health Care read
07 An Effective Response to the Problem read
Article 07
An Effective Response to the Problem
A sensible and effective response to the health needs of homeless people has developed over the past seventeen years. In locations where homeless people congregate, health and social service workers have established clinics designed to overcome the access problems they face. These sites provide comprehensive care that improves people's health and helps them to escape the trap of homelessness. These clinics are in shelters, soup kitchens, and skid-row store fronts. Medical vans visit parks, underpasses and encampments. Contact with the homeless population is extended by outreach workers who aggressively seek out and patiently engage the most isolated of homeless people.
Multidisciplinary teams work to remedy the variety of problems that affect their clients' health. Going beyond traditional medical care, these effective teams work with their clients to address issues of safe shelter and permanent housing, jobs and income, family relationships and substance abuse. This comprehensive approach helps people get well and move out of homelessness.
Health Care for the Homeless Projects are successful because they are designed and controlled by local communities to fill significant gaps in existing health care delivery systems. Each project has well-established relationships with providers of shelter, mental health, substance abuse and hospital services in its community, and has developed considerable experience in managing the care of homeless people. Careful attention is paid to delivering high quality care in a cost-effective manner.
This model of care was developed through a 19-city demonstration program established in 1985 by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Pew Memorial Trust. In 1987, the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act replicated the foundations' program and now 143 Health Care for the Homeless Projects are funded in part by the United States Public Health Service. The federal Health Care for the Homeless Program is widely recognized as one of the most effective McKinney Act programs, and is an indispensable, front-line component of our country's struggle with homelessness.