Since 1999, we have been serving patients struggling with unstable housing in Houston
our vision
A world without homelessness, where all individuals have access to housing, social services, and high-quality, patient-centered healthcare.
our mission
To serve Houstonians experiencing unstable housing with a broad and holistic approach to healthcare, integrating community outreach, medical and social services, and education for the next generation of empathetic providers and impactful advocates.
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our model
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We operate in the heart of downtown Houston where need is the greatest, in partnership with a consortium of housing and social services.
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We go out into the community and meet our patients where they are in life. Our Street Medicine team visits shelters, encampments, and overpasses to make sure no one is left behind.
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We provide comprehensive healthcare visits to build a foundation of trust and create a treatment plan that holistically addresses all of our patients’ concerns.
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We train the next generation of physicians and pharmacists to recognize social determinants of health and the unique impact they have on the diverse peoples and populations served by HOMES clinic, in order to better provide empathetic, skilled, comprehensive care.
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We link patients into the local system of social services so they can be put on a path toward housing, employment, and self-empowerment.
our history
In the 1990s, students from the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work conducted a needs assessment of people experiencing unstable housing in Houston. The students, led by George Bement, found that healthcare for this vulnerable population was severely limited on Sundays, as most non-emergency medical facilities were closed. Students from the University of Houston, Baylor College of Medicine, and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston collaborated to address this issue. HOMES Clinic was founded in 1999 by a medical student at the time, Allegra Melillo, and Dr. David Buck, who was concurrently founding Healthcare for the Homeless-Houston (HHH) as a practicing family medicine physician at BCM. HOMES Clinic began as a student-run Sunday clinic dedicated to the care of individuals experiencing unstable housing. Since its inception, HOMES Clinic has involved thousands of student volunteers and has served over 5,000 patients. To this day, HOMES Clinic operates as a program of HHH.
HHH operates the Cathedral Clinic within the Dunn Outreach Center, adjacent to The Beacon, a homeless resource center that provides daily services, civil legal aid, counseling & mentoring, and housing case management. HOMES Clinic operates in the Cathedral Clinic’s space on Sundays. The site is equipped with four standard outpatient exam rooms along with a basic pharmacy and spaces for social services and physician consultations.
Healthcare for the Homeless-Houston: An Effective, Specialized Approach
HHH is a nonprofit organization that serves as a primary-care “health home” for those experiencing unstable housing. We aim to improve health and help individuals move beyond housing issues. We take a holistic approach by providing many integrated services, including medical care, mental health services, addiction counseling, case management, and dental care. Specialized programming helps address the differing needs of individuals, like programming specific to the needs of women and children, those diagnosed with mental illness, those battling addiction, those experiencing chronic homelessness, etc.
Because we exclusively provide care for individuals experiencing unstable housing or at high-risk of becoming homeless, we are able to tailor our clinical model and services to meet the distinct, and often complex, health and social needs of those we serve.
Our secondary mission is to ensure that the next generation of service providers are motivated and trained to care for vulnerable at-risk populations with dignity and compassion. In addition to providing direct care, HHH serves as a teaching site for students across the U.S. Last year, 519 students and professional volunteers received hands-on training, contributing 17,847 service hours at HHH. By training future providers with a passion for caring for the most vulnerable, HHH creates a ripple effect that will impact underserved populations beyond our care and community. HOMES Clinic is our flagship program embodying HHH’s commitment to shaping future providers.
The Beacon
Through a separate organization, The Beacon is our next door neighbor and shares a special partnership with HOMES Clinic. Every Sunday, The Beacon allows our clinical volunteers to speak with their clients and offer appointments to those needing health care.