The homeless are people without a bed covered in blankets
to get under in the cold winter. They are
unaware of when they will get their next meal. Although they may be taken in by a shelter for some time,
but they have nothing to call their own. No designated shower they can hop in when they get dirty, and
no personal care products to help them feel clean. But most importantly, the homeless are people who
have put their health last in an attempt to put survival first.
Homelessness is not a choice. It can stem from the lack
of affordable health care, domestic violence,
and mental illness. Families and individuals may already be struggling to pay for treatment of a serious
illness or disability. They can be hardworking people but then lose their job because of budget cuts or
circumstances out of their control. This can lead to an eviction from which it is hard to get back on
your feet. Domestic violence also forces many battered women outside of their homes and is actually the
primary cause of homelessness in 50% of the cities surveyed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Finally,
without a caring family an individual with a mental illness can easily find themselves on the streets
unaware of the home they left. 16% of the single adult homeless population suffers from such mental
illnesses. These people did not choose to be homeless, their circumstances lead them there.
Unfortunately, not all homeless people have been victims
of these uncontrollable factors as they are
instead drug addicts. This addiction in addition to an already poor status can spiral into homelessness,
although it isn’t the most common cause of it. In fact, as some drugs are cheap, many homeless people
begin doing drugs after they have lost their homes, become addicted, and get trapped in their position.
They do not recognize the cycle of spending their little preexisting money on drugs, and then
continuously wanting to spend more on it instead of necessities. Despite this, these homeless people
should not be shunned. Instead, they need the most help of all, especially in recognizing the value of
their health.
Regardless of how these people became homeless, they
have lost the ability to control basic hygiene and
feeding themselves healthily. Brushing teeth, combing hair, and making sure hands are washed are
luxuries to them. Because of this, they are prone to illnesses that they cannot receive treatment for.
Not only does their health suffer from being subject to the harsh changing weather but they cannot
protect themselves from the spread of diseases in any manner.
Thus, we must take action to eliminate a problem that often goes unnoticed: homeless healthcare.
Many shelters have taken people off of the streets and provided them with food and warmth. Programs also exist to advocate more care for the homeless. These programs gather people with the right resources to help the homeless, whether it be lawyers to provide legal help for a homeless child getting into the social system or doctors who can provide weekly check-ups. In Philadelphia, specifically, a 5 year plan called the Homeless Assistance Program prioritizes taking people off of the streets to provide them a home. In 2017, despite having the highest poverty rate among the 10 largest cities in the United States, Philadelphia had the lowest number of people without shelter. Beyond programs, laws are starting to exist to protect the homeless from city police. These people are not criminals and so they should not be treated like one.
Emergency shelter and after hour intake site providing client service
case
management, a computer
lab, and residential services for 99 men in North Philadelphia. Learn more here.
Contact information
2601 N. Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19132
(215) 225-9230
Emergency shelter with client service case management and residential
services for 22 single women.
Learn more here.
Contact information
1307 W Susquehanna Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19122
(215) 769-0500
Project HOME's supportive housing programs offer permanent, subsidized
housing for individuals and
families who had been homeless. Most residents come to Project HOME from a safe haven, a shelter
or
from the streets. St. Elizabeth’s Recovery Residence is a recovery residence for men, providing
shelter for those in need. Learn
more here.
Contact information
Philadelphia, PA 19121
(215) 763-1820
Emergency housing services that include temporary shelter, ongoing case
management services,
assistance with obtaining transitional and/or permanent housing, supportive housing for special
populations, an optional savings program which allows households to save a part of their income
for
future housing expenses.
Learn more here.
Contact information
802 N. Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19130
(215) 685-3700
The Salvation Army Red Shield Family Residence is a safe and welcoming
emergency housing shelter
offering loving, respectful, compassionate, and non-judgmental services in order to empower
residents to strive towards self-sufficiency. All family configurations including families with
teenage children and single men with children are accepted. However the majority of our families
are
young mothers with infants.. Many of these women have aged out of the DHS system and are now
entering the shelter system as homeless adults. They enter the shelter lacking basic life skills
and
parenting skills, having little to no actual work experience. The majority of these young
mothers
have self identified as victims of traumatic childhoods; physical, emotional, and sexual abuse;
and
neglect. In fact, seventy five percent of our residents have openly reported trauma histories.
Learn more here.
Contact information
715 North Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19123
(215) 787-2887
This is a shelter for adolescents.
Learn more here.
Contact information
1526 Fairmont Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19130
(215) 787-0633
Back on My Feet members are individuals currently experiencing
homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless.Members range in age from 18 to over 65. 35% of our
members are veterans. 53% are African American, 31% Caucasian and 14% Hispanic. Some members
have a college education, while others are working on their GED. Most of our members have
families – over 60% have children – and we watch, time and time again, as Back on My Feet
reunites them around something positive. Each member attends financial literacy classes and job
skills training provided through partnerships with our corporate partners. Members can earn
financial assistance to remove barriers to employment and housing such as work supplies,
transportation and security deposits.
Learn more here.
Contact information
907 Hamilton Street
Philadelphia, PA 19123
(215) 236-7024
Sunday Breakfast Rescue Mission serves the homeless through two
locations in Philadelphia: a shelter in Center City and a transitional home for women in the
Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia. The Center City shelter also houses a long-term
recovery program for men. The Mission does not receive government funding and relies on the
generous contributions of caring individuals, families, churches and businesses. Donations are
supplemented with income from two thrift stores.
Learn more here.
Contact information
302 N. 13th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 922-6400
Offers emergency shelter for youth 18 to 21 years old. Services include
an on-site health clinic, case management and education and vocational services. Walk-ins
accepted. No ID required. Open 24/7.
Learn more here.
Contact information
31 E. Armat Street
Philadelphia, PA 19144
(215) 951-5411
Drug and alcohol-free, 40-bed emergency shelter / residence for men who
are in transition from homelessness to independent living in the community; all residents meet
with in-house case managers to work through specific issues associated with homelessness and are
referred to appropriate treatment centers and skill development programs in the community. Brief
one-on-one counseling and referrals for shelter, substance abuse, medical services and
employment services. Weekly walk-in shower services are provided on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
and Friday of every week, 8:30 am – 9:15 am, in basement of SJH.
Learn more here.
Contact information
1221 Race St
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 563-7763
The Whosoever Gospel Mission is a Christian nonprofit organization
whose purpose is to provide shelter, food, clothing, education, counseling, rehabilitation and
other assistance to homeless and/or needy men, women and children in the Philadelphia
Metropolitan Area.
Learn more here.
Contact information
101 E. Chelten Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19144
(215) 438-3094
Women Centralized Homeless Intake Services - Families or single females
may call this intake center directly for placement in the homeless housing system.
Learn more here.
Contact information
1430 Cherry St
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 686-7150
A 31-bed residence for single women and mothers with young children who
are in recovery. Mercy Hospice provides a safe, supportive, sober environment for all the women
who walk through our doors.Residents are referred to appropriate off-site treatment programs and
support groups, while receiving on-site life skills, parenting support and and social services
support.
Learn more here.
Contact information
334 S. 13th St
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 545-5153
PEC's mission is to nurture families, strengthen neighborhoods and
drive change. For families, children, and youth experiencing homelessness, PEC offers more than
235 affordable housing units, job training, parenting and early childhood education, financial
education and planning, life skills and technology classes.
Learn more here.
Contact information
3902 Spring Garden St
Philadelphia, PA 19104
(215) 777-5867
Bethesda Project operates 14 sites throughout Center City Philadelphia
for individual adults experiencing homelessness. These sites range from emergency shelter to
safe haven provisions to supportive housing to independent living spaces
Learn more here.
Contact information
1630 South St
Philadelphia, PA 19146
(215) 985-1600
This program has existed since 1990 and aims to provide free civil legal services and advocacy to reduce the frequency and duration of homelessness in Philadelphia.
The National Health Care for the Homeless Council is the premier national organization working to combat homelessness and health care. Their mission is to eliminate homelessness by ensuring comprehensive health care and secure housing for everyone. Unlike CH2I, they are a coalition of adults under the same goal. College students are not reached out to for help, although they have the power to help. Nonetheless, this organization has formed groups who are making a difference to the homeless community, as listed below.
It is not only hard to be homeless because of the lack of
a roof to call your own as cities make it their job to push away the homeless. Not all cities take
action to help the homeless, but instead force them to leave in an effort to create a “clean” image
of
their city. Those actions include:
The Health Professions Training Assistance Act of 1985 directed the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to arrange with the National Academy of Sciences for an Institute of Medicine study of the delivery of inpatient and outpatient health care services to homeless people
The major homeless aid bill of the 100th Congress, H.R. 558, the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987, was signed into law on July 23, 1987. Components of the bill include
With the Martin V. Boise Case in April 2019, the Supreme Court case established that homeless people cannot be charged for sleeping in absence of alternatives.
Walking through New York City, Jersey City, Philadelphia
and other well populated areas, one might develop
the false belief that these cities are the hub of the homeless population. It is true that with fewer
service sites in rural areas it is harder for the homeless to survive there. Despite this, homelessness
is
an epidemic that exists everywhere. So if you are fortunate enough to be reading this on an electronic
device, please take the time to recognize the disparities between yourself and the homeless.
Fortunately, these disparities can be diminished with
your help. As a college student, you can donate money
or goods, volunteer, and help with programs for the homeless.
It is important to help the homeless have a roof over their heads and food, but it is also important for them to understand the importance of preventative healthcare and get treatment when needed. As a college student you can:
Many community service clubs exist in every college. Ask one of yours to distribute preventative healthcare goods, guide the homeless to clinics, and advocate the importance of homeless healthcare to others. It isn’t hard to take a few hours out of your day to hand someone a box of bandaids that could help prevent a wound from getting infected. A potential infection could lead to a high fever and in the worst case possible death. If you can prevent that from happening, why wouldn’t you?
Homeless healthcare is important and a common cause many people can stand behind. Give your fellow students an issue to combat and the chance to make a difference in the world. Within the club:
Get Involved with the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty and become an advocate for homeless healthcare becoming a project all cities must take on. Advocate for a minimum number of homeless clinics in cities by becoming a:
Visit https://nlchp.org/ for more information.