Think of a time when you were discharged from a hospital after treatment of a serious illness or major surgery. Where did you go? For most of us, the answer is “home.” Home to our spouses, our partners, our children or even our pets; surrounded by family and friends who provide us with care until we are back to health, back to our jobs, back to our lives.
Now, imagine the scenario above with one exception – you are without a home. In this situation, where would you go? The sad reality is you would probably compete for space in already overcrowded shelters or, more likely, end up on the streets. This is especially true in Phoenix, which is the largest city in the country without organized services to care for the sick homeless on our streets.
As described throughout our website, persons experiencing homelessness face innumerable challenges. A life on the street is a constant struggle for survival that most of us cannot imagine and, if fortunate, will never experience. It is a life of loss – not just of physical shelter, but of all the things that matter and define you – health, family, friends, work and a sense of community. It is an isolating, vulnerable existence that can leave lasting scars.
To be sick while living on the streets only compounds the vulnerability. Imagine trying to recover from a broken leg or fight the debilitating effects of chemotherapy while at the same time trying to find a safe place to sleep and something to eat, carrying everything you own on your back or in a shopping cart. This is the sad reality faced every day by sick homeless men and women in our Valley of the Sun.
An urgent need in our community is medical respite care for homeless persons recovering from illness or injury, who are not sick enough for the hospital, yet are not able to care for themselves in a shelter or on the streets. No safe alternative currently exists for hospitals to place discharged homeless patients who need additional care to fully recover from illness or injury.
The concept of “medical respite care” is not well known among the general public. Circle the City hopes to raise awareness of this issue and seek support from the Phoenix community as we unveil a plan to open a Medical Respite Center by the end of 2010. We envision a 25-bed facility that could grow to 50 or more beds, depending on need and resources. The types of services provided would be similar to those available through home health agencies to anyone living in a stable home environment – in essence, home care for those without a home.
Our Respite Center would also offer social services such as case management, behavioral health, substance use counseling and housing referral. We believe it is vital to not only provide services to stabilize an individual’s health, but also offer services that will help an individual begin the process of lifestyle stabilization in order to impact the cycle of homelessness.
Your financial support for these services is urgently needed. As more and more individuals and families experience homelessness, the number of sick homeless on our streets will only grow. Please consider a donation for the Medical Respite Center and help Circle the City surround our most vulnerable brothers and sisters with health care, healing and hope. You can make a difference in breaking the cycle of homelessness!
If you would like further information about medical respite services, or to arrange for us to come and speak with your group about our project, please contact us at info@circlethecity.org or 602-372-2149.