Every day in Erie, there are people struggling to address their health because of the barriers presented by homelessness. The HHF Street Outreach Team begins where traditional health care ends—inside homeless shelters and on the streets, bringing medical care, support, and dignity directly to the people who need it most.

Our team meets individuals where they are without judgment. We provide medical first aid and case management, health insurance enrollment, health education, safe storage for prescription medications, harm reduction supplies, food, and clothing—all in settings that are accessible and familiar.

But our work is about more than services. It’s about connection. Too many of our community’s resources are siloed, disconnected, or delayed. For someone experiencing homelessness, navigating these systems can be impossibly confusing and discouraging. These are the gaps we bridge. We listen first, then walk alongside homeless individuals, helping them access what they need—whether it’s healthcare, housing, or simply someone who cares.

In the last year alone, we've:

• Connected countless individuals to mental health supports and critical medical care services
• Coordinated transportation to these appointments
• Rescued thousands of pounds of food from going to waste, delivering it instead to homeless shelters
• Helped numerous people enroll in health insurance coverage and housing programs
• Provided clean clothing, shoes, and other life supplies to those without shelter
• Advocated for the homeless with community organizations and within the justice system

Most importantly, we've built trust, one human connection at a time.

This is hands-on compassion, in real time. This is dignity, delivered.

A pregnant woman living with severe paranoia and other mental health challenges trusted no one--except our street medicine nurse. That relationship made all the difference. Against all odds, the nurse ensured the woman went to the hospital for the baby's delivery and then stayed by her side throughout the birth experience, ensuring both the mom and baby were safe.

A man with a dangerously unstable heart hadn't seen a doctor in years. Our team scheduled the cardiology appointment, arranged his transportation, and stayed with him through every step in the process. This likely saved his life.

In the bitter cold of January, we found a man living in a makeshift encampment on the outskirts of Erie. He left that encounter with warm, dry clothes and food in his hands -- provisions that kept him alive.

These are not statistics. These are neighbors. These are moments of survival, made possible because someone cared.

This is what your support makes possible.

Consider this: an ER visit can cost thousands of taxpayer dollars. A street outreach encounter? A fraction of that. Street medicine prevents emergencies before they happen—keeping people healthier, reducing strain on hospitals, and ultimately saving community dollars. It’s smart giving that multiplies in impact.

You can help rewrite how our community cares for its most vulnerable, with compassion, innovation, and bold action. Your gift doesn’t disappear into bureaucracy—it puts a trained medical professional on the street tomorrow, treating a person who otherwise would go without care.