Because Health Care is a Right, Not a Privilege
 

Resources for People Who Are Homeless

Are you homeless? If so, you are not alone. This year, as many as two million different people will find themselves without a regular place to stay. Resources are available to help you with shelter, health care and other needs. This page can direct you to assistance in your community. Click on one of the pictures below to find more information about each of these areas.

housing
Housing
medical
Medical
legal
Legal
family
Family
get involved
Get Involved

Other Resources:
Publications by and for people who are homeless: A street newspaper is a publication created to increase the public's awareness of poverty and homeless issues, as well as to provide flexible employment opportunities for homeless people. Most street newspapers provide papers to homeless vendors for 20% to 40% of the cover price, which is usually $1. The self-employed vendor sells the papers on the street and keeps the money he or she makes. Street newspapers now operate in 47 cities throughout North America and in dozens of other cities in Europe, Africa, Australia and the Caribbean.

North American Street Newspaper Association (NASNA) – offers technical assistance to new and growing street newspapers
International Network of Street Papers (INSP) – a network of 80 street paper members situated across 27 countries
International Homeless and Homelessness Directory – resources, research, information and services regarding homeless people and homelessness


Suggestions for the website? Please e-mail NCAB at ncab@nhchc.org.




Housing
housing

Shelters & other homeless services:
The National Coalition for the Homeless online Directory of Local Homeless Service Organizations and Directory of Homeless & Housing Advocacy Coalitions, listed by state.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD):
This site lists programs managed by local organizations that provide a range of services, including shelter, food, counseling, and jobs skills programs. Here you can find services in your area.



Medical
medical

Health Care for the Homeless Grantees:
Here you can look up Health Care for the Homeless (HCH) providers in every state
and learn about the services that they provide.


Legal
legal

Legal assistance:
On the Legal Services Corporation website, you can find free and low-cost civil legal services in your state.
National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty: This site contains information about housing, income, education, civil rights, homelessness and poverty in America, including information about special procedures to help people affected by Hurricane Katrina.


Family
legal

One Family Scholars is committed to ending family homelessness in Massachusetts, one family at a time, by providing financial support for higher education, interwoven in a system of support services that parents need in order to clear the barriers that often prevent them from preparing for, and achieving, financial security. Recipients of One Family Scholarships are typically homeless or formerly homeless women with children. Many have attempted to better their career opportunities in the past, and have been thwarted by the need to provide health care, day care or other essential services to family members that overwhelm their finances and ambition. One Family seeks to empower these mothers with the tools they need to provide for their families while completing their education and planning for a secure and safe future. How Do I Become a Scholar? If you are homeless or formerly homeless and living in Massachusetts, click here to find out.


Get Involved
legal

National Consumer Advisory Board (NCAB): Visit NCAB’s site to see what you can do to help consumers advise policymakers, service providers, and other stakeholders. You can apply to be a member online, read the newsletter, and contact NCAB. Are you a client of a Health Care for the Homeless Project? The National Health Care for the Homeless Council is committed to including clients of HCH projects on advisory boards and governing groups. For information about joining an HCH consumer advisory board in your community, or for more information about working with other HCH client leaders throughout the country, click here.