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.
09.10.19
Lead Community Health Worker, Lilian Amaya
Thanks to Amerigroup's donation of 180 backpacks and all the folders, notebooks and writing utensils needed to fill them, this year will be a whole lot less stressful for families experiencing housing instability.
Debbie Wilcox, LCSW-C, a social worker on our pediatrics and family medicine team, explains the barriers families without homes face when it comes to back-to-school season: “Schools aren’t well equipped to identify homelessness. I’ve met parents who don’t have the resources needed to get their kids in school, so they just give up.”
But, because of these donations, when a child walks through the doors of our clinics, not only do they get care they can't get anywhere else, they also leave ready to take on the school year with confidence.
Our pediatric providers see the smiles of every family that receives one of these backpacks. Director of Pediatrics Dr. Iris Leviner says, "I am so grateful to be at a place where we consider those barriers and offer resources to address them. I love being able to offer a tangible thing that can make going back to school easier."
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.