Homeless Health Initiative
The Homeless Health Initiative (HHI) is a volunteer outreach program coordinated by The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's Community Education Department. Volunteers of the HHI provide medical and dental services to children in area shelters and assist families in accessing important health care services including health insurance, primary care and specialty care.
Our history
HHI started in 1988 when a group of Children's Hospital residents recognized the need to improve health care access for homeless children. The residents began providing acute medical care at emergency shelters in West Philadelphia. Today, HHI provides the following services to children in shelters and their families:
- Medical and dental care
- Hearing and vision screenings
- Health and parenting workshops
- Interactive parent-child development activities
Recognition
HHI has been named a "Best Practices Model" by the Philadelphia Blueprint to End Homelessness, People's Emergency Center and the Mayor's Task Force on Homeless Services. In the spring of 2005, HHI was presented at the Third International Symposium on Child Health and Development in Tokyo, Japan, as a way of inspiring such efforts and initiatives to be undertaken in Japanese hospitals.
In the summer of 2005, Mayor Bernard Kincaid of Birmingham, AL, came to Philadelphia to learn first hand from the HHI team about the health services we provide to children in Philadelphia shelters. The HHI team was honored by the People's Emergency Center (PEC) for outstanding volunteer leadership and service to the children and families at PEC.
HHI was honored with a Philadelphia City Council Resolution Award in 2007, and with the American Red Cross Cornerstone Award in 2008.
In the spotlight
In 2009, the HHI leadership team – Karen Hudson, Melissa Bennett and Melissa Berrios – joined the Children’s Work Group, an initiative launched by Dr. Donald Schwarz, Deputy Mayor of Health and Opportunity and Health Commissioner for the City of Philadelphia. In September 2010, the Children’s Work Group published the report, Philadelphia Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness: Practical Strategies for Action.
According to the report, the number of children under the age of 17 experiencing homelessness in Philadelphia grew from 3,433 in 2008 to 3,582 in 2009 — a four percent increase. The report also noted that there was a marked increase — 12 percent — in the number of very young children (age four and under) who were homeless in Philadelphia between 2008 and 2009 (from 1,493 to 1,668 children). In total, 46 percent of the approximately 5,000 children served in emergency and transitional housing in 2009 were under the age of five.
The HHI team provided guidance around recommendations to improve the health of children living in emergency and transitional housing.
Learn more
Please take a moment to explore our Web site. You can:
- Read about the shelters we serve.
- Learn how you can help.
- Meet our staff.
If you are a HHI volunteer, see our Volunteers section for schedules, updates and our volunteer spotlight.
Contact Us
- 215-590-7646
- Contact Us Online