The Unique Collaborations of Goodwill Northern Michigan’s Street Outreach Program are Making a Difference
Goodwill Northern Michigan's Street Outreach program uses a compassionate, proactive, and collaborative approach to address homelessness and the horrors that go along with it. Working with TC Street Medicine and the Northwest Michigan Coalition to End Homelessness, Street Outreach is meeting people where they are, offering healthcare on the streets, and providing specialized support for people experiencing chronic homelessness. Together, we’re able to do more for people experiencing homelessness, demonstrating our commitment to empowering lives and creating lasting positive change in the community.
Street Outreach
Goodwill Northern Michigan's Street Outreach program is dedicated to the best practice of meeting people where they are, proactively bringing resources to end homelessness directly into the streets, shelters, parks, and other public spaces. Because some people experiencing homelessness may not always seek help in the traditional established ways, Street Outreach engages with people in ways that work for them.
The trained professionals and volunteers of Street Outreach demonstrate compassion, empathy, and understanding while engaging with the homeless population. They create a safe and non-judgmental environment by building trust and rapport where individuals can share their stories and challenges openly. This approach allows the team to better understand the unique circumstances of each person and helps them offer personalized assistance.
Targeted outreach efforts are a vital part of the homelessness response system, assisting with location, engagement, assessment, referral, and follow up with folks who might otherwise be hard to reach. This can look like finding new people who are homeless, re-finding a person for a housing program, filling out rental applications, and providing connection to immediate resources to help people meet their basic survival needs. Important collaborations help Goodwill’s Street Outreach team to offer access to shelter, healthcare services, and mental health support, too.
Street Medicine
Goodwill Northern Michigan’s Street Outreach Team is a critical component of TC Street Med, a Street Medicine Collaborative serving the Greater Grand Traverse Area in northern Michigan. TC Street Med provides direct medical care to clients in local homeless shelters and living unsheltered outside. Homeless individuals often face significant barriers in accessing healthcare — lack of identification, transportation, and stable living conditions are just some of the issues folks face. Street Medicine aims to bridge this gap by bringing healthcare services directly to the people on the streets.
TC Street Med is a collaboration of Munson Family Practice, Traverse Health Clinic, Thomas Judd Care Center, Community Mental Health, and the Street Outreach team. They conduct regular visits to targeted areas based on the highest need, offering on-site medical assessments, screenings, and treatments for health issues including physical injuries, infections, chronic conditions, and mental health concerns. The Street Outreach team is a vital component of the effort in locating people and documenting changing medical issues in the field.
In addition to treating immediate medical needs, the Street Medicine team establishes long-term relationships with their patients, fostering continuity of care. They facilitate connections to local clinics, hospitals, and social services to ensure individuals receive ongoing support and follow-up treatment. The Street Outreach team ensures continuity with efforts to help people exit homelessness with a permanent place to live.
Initiative to End Chronic Homelessness
The Street Outreach team is a collaborative partner of the Northwest Michigan Coalition to End Homelessness (NWCEH). The NWCEH is a strong homelessness response system that has undertaken an Initiative to End Chronic Homelessness in the Greater Grand Traverse Area. People who are chronically homeless have experienced long-term or repeated homelessness, and have one or more disabilities including complex health issues, substance use disorders, or mental health challenges. Street Outreach and NWCEH use the Housing First best practice: all people are ready for a place to live, and need the stability of a home before they can have success working on other goals including sobriety and employment. Housing First studies clearly show that people do recover from homelessness and the suffering that comes with it, and that recovery starts with housing.
The Initiative is using the targeted Street Outreach approach to engage chronic individuals and is prioritizing connection to Permanent Supportive Housing. A holistic case management approach provides intensive and ongoing support after people exit chronic homelessness, to help them have long-term housing success. A team of social workers, case managers, and support specialists collaborate to create personalized plans for each client. Plans include housing assistance, mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment, job training, and access to medical services.
Success for the Initiative will require the region to increase the number of places for clients to live. Coalition partners are buying, building, and investing in additional housing units, and are actively engaging healthcare, business, faith, and government partners in making it possible to end chronic homelessness in a five-county area of northwest Michigan.
The Initiative aims to break the cycle of chronic homelessness by increasing housing options and addressing the underlying factors that contribute to prolonged homelessness. By providing stable housing and comprehensive support services, the program helps participants regain stability, dignity, and a sense of belonging within the community.