Heartside clinic transforms health care for unhoused

Catherine’s Health Center began seeing a patient in 2024 who had spent the previous two years living outside. This person was experiencing schizophrenia and stimulant use disorder and had visited the emergency room 255 times in 2023 and 2024. Since receiving substance use disorder treatment and psychiatric medication at Catherine’s Health Center, this person has been in a stable housing situation with family and has used the emergency room only once in 2025. 

This is one of the many impacts created by the health clinic opened earlier this year by Catherine’s Health Center and Mel Trotter Ministries. At first, the clinic was only open to Mel Trotter guests, but now the facility, operated by Catherine’s Health Center, is open to all individuals. 

“Catherine’s provides access to high-quality, compassionate, and affordable health care to all in the community, regardless of insurance or ability to pay,” says Ally Stephens, development director of Catherine’s Health Center. “Through 12 sites, including several in schools and partner organizations, we provide comprehensive primary medical, dental, and behavioral health care.”

The new and improved

Stephens says that before Catherine’s operated the clinic, Mel Trotter nurses were there during the day to provide medication and triage, while volunteer providers from various health systems were available a few evenings each week for convenience care or walk-in care for acute needs like wound care. The expanded “place-based” care model is bringing comprehensive services into accessible spaces that already have the trust of the community.

The new and improved clinic serves as a medical home for individuals experiencing homelessness, offering walk-in appointments and a variety of services, including substance use disorder treatment and medications for opioid use disorder, immunizations, screenings, well-child visits, infectious disease treatment, diagnostic lab services, chronic disease management, and referrals to specialty care.  

The current clinic’s roots go back to when Catherine’s became a federally qualified health center (FQHC), providing health care for the homeless, in 2020. 

“When we became an FQHC,” Stephens says, “we intentionally met with the unhoused community, both service providers and individuals experiencing homelessness, to better understand their health needs and barriers. We began providing care to the unhoused in fragmented ways in 2022 and have expanded our place-based care since then. 

“In 2024, two federal grants became available that would allow us to open a full-time clinic and launch a mobile unit. Catherine’s applied for and was awarded both grants.”

The goal of this initiative is to provide personalized, dignified care while reducing non-urgent emergency department visits and unnecessary hospitalizations. Leaders at Mel Trotter Ministries and Catherine’s Health Center believe that improved physical and mental health outcomes enhance housing opportunities and stability for individuals trapped in the cycle of homelessness.

In addition to 40 hours of primary medical care, Catherine’s Health Center now provides:

• 16 hours per week of dental hygiene services
• Four hours per week of psychiatric care
• 40 hours per week of case management support
• 40 hours per week of behavioral health care 

A mobile unit to expand outreach

In addition to the expanded health clinic, Catherine’s and Mel Trotter have started a mobile health unit to provide essential medical services to individuals experiencing homelessness. The vehicle is equipped to provide a range of services, including primary care, mental health support, substance abuse treatment, and preventive screenings. 

By taking away the barriers of location and cost – there is no charge to use the clinic or mobile unit – Catherine’s Health Center hopes to improve the health and enhance the quality of life for individuals who face significant barriers to accessing traditional health care facilities.

“These offerings aim to serve the needs of the unhoused community and are also available to the community as a whole,” Stephens says. “We are here and ready to meet individuals where they are for their healthcare needs.”

The mobile unit’s schedule can be found on Catherine’s Health Center’s website.

The hours of the clinic and the mobile unit can be found on Mel Trotter Ministries’ website.

Photos courtesy of Catherine’s Health Center.