Care For the Homeless

The supplies were simple: paint, markers, colored pencils and magazines for collages. Using art to explore self-reflection, Care for the Homeless social workers, case managers and mental health specialists hosted workshops this March at several of our sites that serve specific homeless sub-populations. “We wanted to focus on populations that don’t often get activities,” said Heather Garber, licensed clinical social worker. “In Manhattan, we worked with LGBQ homeless youth. In Queens, we went to one site that serves homeless seniors and another that serves homeless families with teens. Adolescents don’t often get activities geared for their age group. On Wards Islands, we worked with homeless men with criminal backgrounds.” Homeless youth face additional challenges. NYC shelters only provide shelter beds to adults (ages 18 and older) or children under 18 with their parent or guardian. Many of the homeless youth we serve are street homeless or staying in precarious emergency...

January may be a slower month than the busyness of December, but the Care for the Homeless social services team was hard at work providing Medical Case Management services at 13 different sites in a total of 240 visits for 151 homeless clients.  Psychotherapy services where provided at two more sites with 27 homeless clients coming in for a total of 47 visits. In addition, during January, the Social Service staff collaborated with the CFH Health Education team and medical departments to implement pap smear initiative events at six sites. The staff provided a variety of services including PHQ9 screenings, Perceived Stress Scales (PSS) screenings and co-facilitated a workshop with the Health Education team on the barriers to accessing and engaging in medical treatment. Without the Social Services teams, a large sect of the homeless population Care for the Homeless works with would go without mental health counseling and would be unable to access treatment. Their role is critic...