Our Outreach and Health Ministry Program brings services to individuals and families where they live.
Why Health Care?
Health and homelessness are closely linked.
Unhoused members of the community have higher rates of illness and are more likely to die at a younger age than the general population.
Acute health crises or chronic medical conditions are often precipating factors in the loss of housing. And the conditions of homelessness can bring about new health challenges or exacerbate existing ones.
Accessing health care is extremely challenging for people who are unhoused and homelessness severly impacts the management of and recovery from a health condition.
Street Medicine Program
Our Street Medicine Program brings free health care, survival supplies, and support directly to individuals who have the most difficulty accessing traditional services. Regularly visiting encampments, expressway viaducts, and street corners across the city, a Nurse Practitioner, Case Manager, and Street Medicine Outreach Professional first address immediate health needs, then link individuals to case management and medical homes.
CTA Outreach
The Night Ministry connects with unhoused individuals who ride public transit for shelter by bringing our health care and outreach services twice weekly to select CTA train stations. Along with partner organizations, we help address immediate needs for food, health care, and other resources while connecting clients to housing and further services.