HOMES Clinic
Houston Outreach Medicine, Education and Social Services
Between 34 and 50 percent of Houston's nearly 10,000 homeless individuals have an identified illness and/or health related conditions as the primary factor leading to their homelessness. A 1999 needs assessment survey showed that clients seeking healthcare services at existing clinic sites often were turned away because of limited capacity, that the unmet need for homeless healthcare is growing, and that the homeless continue to seek medical care primarily at hospital emergency rooms, the least effective and most costly option.
Houston Outreach Medicine, Education and Social Services or HOMES is a multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary student-run free clinic that has been serving the homeless of Houston since January of 2000. HOMES is an innovative and exciting program in which the major higher educational institutions of Houston collaborate with community organizations to provide quality, accessible healthcare and social services to the homeless in a dignified manner, as well as provide a unique learning experience for students from a variety of different disciplines. The more than 200 students from Houston-area health programs who volunteer their time are able to build relationships and gain experience in caring for community members.
(from the HOMES "History and Mission" and "Healthcare for the Homeless, Houston")