Care For the Homeless

Victor's Story Nothing but a man doing what he loves. Music is Victor’s life. He’s partial to jazz, jump blues, R&B, and classic soul, but is up for any style as long as he can play the drums. As a successful freelancer, Victor has shared his talents with a number of different groups at a number of different venues. However, for the past three years, he’s played consistently at the famous Red Rooster Restaurant in Harlem, NY. Coincidentally, it was also three years ago that Victor first visited Care For the Homeless’ (CFH) Health Center at the Living Room/Safe Haven Shelter in the Bronx, NY. “I was on heroin for 25-years before I came to the Living Room,” said Victor. “Since then I’ve been on Suboxone, which I take three times a day.” Victor’s condition began all those years ago while he was out on tour. He recalled, “It was the 80s and I was on tour with a major artist at the time. Whether we were all just hanging out or travelling on the tour bus, there were...

Addressing the Whole Person Dr. Littleton with a Patient The streets outside the Care For the Homeless (CFH) Health Center (located at the Living Room/Safe Haven Shelter) rattle with a rhythm that should be familiar to most New Yorkers. Semi-trucks blow by, footsteps patter on the sidewalk, and the nearest park teems with laughing children. Across the street, a Dominican monastery stands as tall and proud as the day it was built in 1891, adding a touch of history to the area. Conversely, the rhythm inside the halls of the shelter and health center are anything but familiar. Located in the Bronx, the Living Room/Safe Haven a is a 24-hour, open access drop-in site, meaning anyone experiencing street homelessness is welcome to come in and spend time off the streets. CFH site partner BronxWorks offers hot meals, showers, laundry, and housing services to compliment the medical services provided by CFH. Despite the similarities it shares with other CFH sites, the Living Ro...

Sahira's Story Sahira getting her heart rate checked by Joy. No more than 4 months ago, Sahira P. came to Care For the Homeless’ (CFH) Susan’s Place Health Center in the Bronx for a routine check-up. However, there was something else on her mind aside from taking her blood pressure and checking her resting heart rate. It turned out she had been struggling with a Percocet addiction. As is the case with many CFH patients, Sahira was (at first) apprehensive about telling her story, despite her intense desire to do so. “I was dying to tell somebody my story,” she commented. “But, I was afraid someone would judge me.” Judgement is just one of the many legitimate concerns CFH patients have when seeking medical services. Negative past experiences and financial insecurities lead patients to believe that they’ll also be, either turned away by providers or treated poorly by them. These complex concerns yield a litany of negative consequences. Perhaps the most severe ...