An artist, gamer, and movie lover, Curtis McLaughlin (above) has been part of the Health Care for the Homeless Art Group for more than five years.
Art is one of my coping skills. I can be anywhere and create art wherever I go.
05.02.19
Julia Felton gives a window into her work at the front desk.
Q: What do you do at Health Care for the Homeless?
As a Client Access Associate, my job is to find out what people need, register them and direct them to care. We see 100 to 200 clients on a normal day at the downtown clinic. I also help set the tone. If I came to an organization and I was ignored or disrespected, I wouldn’t come back. I have the chance to make sure clients have a healthy experience.
Q: What does it take to be successful at your job?
Compassion. Empathy. I’m motivated by the people we serve. I’ve been in a situation where my children and I have been homeless. I was never on the street, but I can relate. I want to see people become housed, healthy and mentally stable. I look forward to clients who come back and say, “You helped me a lot,” or “This is a better day.”
Q: What is rewarding about your job?
People come in feeling hopeless, helpless and emotionally distraught. I try to stay calm and build a good rapport. There was a client who used to yell at me every morning, and I’d just say “Hello.” Then one day he said “Good morning” instead. I was ecstatic! Later, he told me that he lost his housing after he got hurt and couldn’t play football anymore. He went from a man who used to yell at me to a man who wanted to sit and have a conversation. It was very touching.
An artist, gamer, and movie lover, Curtis McLaughlin (above) has been part of the Health Care for the Homeless Art Group for more than five years.
Art is one of my coping skills. I can be anywhere and create art wherever I go.
Client storytelling is a staple of the nonprofit business model, ever present in advocacy, clinic tours, fundraising—and news articles like the one you are reading right now.
The Trans Rights Advocacy Coalition (TRAC) has been the driving force in championing trans rights policy changes in Maryland. Due to stigma and structural discrimination, transgender people—particularly transgender people of color—experience high rates of homelessness. Following the implementation of the Trans Health Equity Act in January, we talked with TRAC leadership about their work and community.
Since starting in January 2022, REI Health Specialist Arie Hayre-Somuah, LMSW, MPH has worked with our clinical teams to identify health disparities and move us closer to health equity. This year, she is turning her focus to the topic of health literacy.