Street outreach: Roy and Orlando meet people where they are

Every day many of us walk or drive past people on the streets and in crisis. For outreach workers Roy Jackson and Orlando Stevenson, stopping to help is their full-time job.

Just like you, Roy and Orlando root for those they meet every day: A father bringing money and food to his daughter who is sleeping outside. A man trying to reconnect with his brothers. Couples who avoid shelters where they’d be forced to separate.

Roy and Orlando support and connect people to care. As Roy puts it, "Outreach means meeting people where they are and building relationships. It’s about letting them know what options for care are available.”

This winter, Roy and Orlando have been visiting a couple living in a tent in North Baltimore who face forcible removal in the near future. They have built up a rapport with the couple, offering them rides to one of our clinics and information about housing options.

A few weeks ago, Roy and Orlando made the familiar drive up to North Baltimore to help the couple move out of their tent and into a better situation—a local shelter.

“That’s the positive of being on outreach,” Orlando says. “Knowing that we have a great connection, that clients know us and trust us.”

Getting to this place of trust and guidance takes patience, persistence and ongoing support from people like you.

No matter how long it takes, Roy and Orlando don’t give up on people. Each day brings a fresh opportunity for better health and home.

“When you manage to help someone get off the street and into housing, there’s nothing like it,” says Roy. “It’s why I’m here.”

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