The United States of America has no National Healthcare Service like that of the United Kingdom and during my Fellowship, I learnt that it is near impossible for those experiencing chronic homelessness to afford to pay for insurance premiums which connect them with medical health care and services. For this reason, ill health amongst people who are experiencing homelessness is cited as a major concern by industry professionals on both the East and West Coasts of the USA. Project Homeless Connect elegantly demonstrate that solutions to social challenges can be found by skill-sharing and creating value in voluntary opportunities; one example of this is the extremely popular physician-led healthcare clinic, staffed entirely by qualified and experienced volunteers.
I was able to observe a session in progress and the professional standard of care on offer to patients was evident. Service users are able to access optical exams and connections to medical care providers, as well as prescription glasses. The benefits to the operation of a service such as this are far-reaching;
Whilst this drop-in clinic is representative of just one of the many varied support sessions held within their centralised San Francisco offices each day, the unique selling point of Project Homeless Connect has to be PHC 65: regular major one-stopshop events where individuals experiencing homelessness crisis are able to receive assistance from more than 150 service providers, all under one roof.
Participants are engaged from across the public, private and voluntary sectors, with the roadshow events proving to be hugely successful for all involved. With access to multiple services under one roof, people who are homeless can engage with employment counsellors, mental health professionals, housing assistance programmes and personal care treatments, all on the same day. The goal is to ensure participants have all the tools necessary to rebuild what they have lost and move forward in life. As of April 2016, close to 55,000 volunteers had provided services to more than 85,000 homeless and low-income San Franciscans via PHC 65 pop-up eventscxii.
Project Homeless Connect excels in linking the most vulnerable city inhabitants to vital resources throughout the district and it is an extremely popular organisation, with partner agencies locally, as well as across the United States of America. Project Homeless Connect has become a nation-wide movement to increase access to services for the people experiencing homelessness and engages a national audience in finding solutions for homelessness, as well as its wider-associated issues. Gaining attention from international colleagues, the model has now been replicated internationally in examples such as Sydney Homeless Connect in Australiacxiii.
With more shelter space availability and less tolerance to vagrancy in central areas, New York has a far less visible street homeless population than California. This means that engagement and rapport-building with the displaced can be even more precarious and challenging than for operators on the West Coast. Back on My Feet seeks to revolutionise the way our society approaches homelessness, utilising a unique fitnessbased model to engage with those who have lost their way. Work undertaken by Back on My Feet demonstrates that if you first restore confidence, strength and self-esteem, individuals are better equipped to tackle the road ahead and move towards employment, homes and better lives.
Operating in 11 major cities coast-to-coast, Back on My Feet uses the power of running and community spirit to motivate and support individuals, every step of the way from homelessness to independence. Recruiting its members (individuals experiencing homelessness) at homeless and residential facilities around the country, they begin with a commitment to run three days a week, in the early morning. After 30 days in the programme, members with 90% attendance earn the opportunity to move into the second phase of the programme called Next Steps, which provides educational support, job training programmes, employment partnership referrals and access to housing resources. Almost 80% of individuals who start the programme move into Next Steps.
Success is measured not only by the positive health impact of miles run, but also by how many individuals obtain education, employment and stable housing. Guided by New York City Chapter’s Executive Director, Terence Gerchberg, I gained an understanding of how Back on My Feet guide vulnerable individuals to undertake a complete rehabilitation programme, which often yields phenomenal outcomes. Members of the public join as volunteers, meeting the running groups in the early morning covering between one and five miles. Runners, joggers and walkers of all abilities are invited to become a part of the continually-evolving community.
Since launching in 2007, Back on My Feet (BoMF) has served more than 5,500 individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness, in addition to engaging more than 100,000 volunteers and supporters. At any given time, 80% of BoMF members are participating in the advanced ‘Next Steps’ programme, working to secure employment and stable housing. Within six months of becoming a Back on My Feet Alumnus:
To date, Back on My Feet members have run a collective 500,000 miles and obtained more than 3,500 jobs and homescxiv. By combating homelessness through their innovative programme, Back on My Feet proves that there is hope: Individuals can achieve things they never thought possible and that there are people who will willingly support them - without judgment - along the way.
cxii. https://www.projecthomelessconnect.org/about/
cxiii. http://www.sydneyhomelessconnect.com/
Copyright © by Amy.F.Varle, January 2018.
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
The views and opinions expressed in this report and its content are those of the author and not of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, which has no responsibility or liability for any part of the report.
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