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Updated: Dec 5, 2022
October 11, 2022
Creativity is thinking up new things; innovation is doing the new thing. With the overall aim of improving the health and wellbeing of the most vulnerable in the community, St. Catherine’s Center for Children's Pathways to Health program is implementing new methods to facilitate street outreach for those who are homeless or at-risk, and who typically do not seek access to primary health services.
St. Catherine’s Pathways to Health program was created as a client-engagement centered program. To be successful, street outreach needs to be much more than giving out blankets on a cold day or water bottles on a warm one. To meet the true needs of the community, street outreach must be dynamic and mobile, able to meet people where they are, and it must build their trust. Fear of being judged, fear of losing control over their lives or those of their children, are common reasons why many in need do not seek access to health care or supplemental resources.
“It can take weeks or even months of non-judgmental, client-engagement methods for someone to fully confide their needs,” says Dave Healy Jr., Director of Housing and Supervisor of Pathways to Health.
Programs at St. Catherine’s, however, are designed to empower individuals and families to be the architects of improving their lives by using the Social Determinants of Health to make risk-recommendations. Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) as defined by the CDC are the conditions in the places where people live, learn, work and play that affect a wide range of health risks and outcomes. Although the Pathways to Health team always has a stock of essential items such as blankets and water in tow, outreach to individuals in need without using SDoH, is not sustainable.
Temporary fixes, by even the most well-meaning providers, do not go far enough to address the complex social issues that leads someone to homelessness, food insecurity, abject poverty, or severe health neglect typically seen among vulnerable populations. By using the Social Determinants of Health and a mobile Care-A-Van unit to meet people where they are, the Pathways team is able to evaluate and make on-the-spot assessments that can lead to both immediate and long-term solutions.
“Whoever you help today will have the same set of needs tomorrow unless you can make an on-the-spot determination and simultaneously offer a pathway to better outcomes,” says Louisa Marra, Associate Executive Director of Homeless Services.
Now in its third year of operation and with the financial backing of a Mother Cabrini Health Foundation grant, Pathways has identified more than 1,600 individuals annually through outreach touchpoints to help connect with to vital health services, including mental health, behavioral services and substance abuse treatment, access to telemedicine, help finding permanent food supplies and stable housing, among others. With the Care-A-Van, the program is currently serving Albany, Columbia, Greene, and Rensselaer counties, and able to expand services.
For year four, Pathways will add ride-along clinicians to make on the spot clinical assessments and in some cases diagnoses, which many partnering programs require in order to provide the next level or a continuum of care. Being able to make a clinical assessment or diagnoses could mean the difference between waiting only days or even just hours before someone becomes eligible, rather than be on a waitlist for weeks or months when immediate access to housing, food or healthcare is needed.
“When you’re sleeping on a park bench in sub-zero weather, one night is an eternity,” says Sarah Ryan, Program Manager for Pathways to Health, citing a recent encounter.
The Pathways to Health program has also been able to utilize strategic community partnerships such as Healthy Alliance’s Micro-Spend program allowing flexible spending for the immediate needs of community members. The Micro-Spend is a niche program that offers alternatives for clients who were previously ineligible or turned away due to a their very specific and unique needs. Program such as this are not the norm, and St. Catherine’s Pathways to Health program was one of only a few Upstate organizations that helped pilot the program in 2021.
Perhaps the most important piece in modern street outreach, is the human aspect. Everyone understands what it means to be treated with dignity and respect. It is and will remain in that spirit, St. Catherine’s Center for Children continues helping the most vulnerable among us gain the sense of belonging needed to thrive, a place in the community, a purpose, safety, stability, and security; and the knowledge that these things are not conditional by virtue of circumstance, rather unconditional by virtue of our humanity.
Related Link
St. Catherine’s Center for Children Receives $5,000 to Support Pathways to Health
About St. Catherine’s Homeless Services
St. Catherine’s homeless and housing services are designed to promote independence and stability. The Marillac Family Shelter serves up to 24 families at a time, providing emergency shelter and supplemental services for families in need of permanent housing. Michael’s House, an apartment-style living facility, provides supportive housing services for up to 20 families and single adults who need transitional support as they work towards lifestyle sustainability. Through the Galvin Motel, St. Catherine’s is able to facilitate immediate stays for those experiencing a housing emergency. Additional programs include Project HOST, connecting families and adults to health care services, counseling and employment assistance, and Pathways to Health. For more information or to make a referral, visit www.st-cath.org/homeless-services.
About St. Catherine’s Center for Children
St. Catherine’s Center for Children was founded by the Daughters of Charity in Albany in 1886 as a home for sick orphans. Today, the agency is a haven for hope, offering a comprehensive range of human services for Capital Region children and families coping with issues of abuse, neglect, mental illness, homelessness, and trauma. In addition to offering extensive services to the homeless and those who are at risk of becoming homeless, St. Catherine’s offers residential services for children ages 5 to 13, a therapeutic foster care services, an elementary school for children with special educational needs, and community-based prevention services and programs designed to strengthen vulnerable families. Last year, St. Catherine’s services reached nearly 3,000 children and families in the Capital Region. For more information, visit www.st-cath.org.
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