These Tri-Citians teamed up to heal a leading cause of local homelessness

For the dozens of homeless in the Tri-Cities, recovering from a hospital visit presents a whole series of challenges.

About 25 to 30 percent of people who come to the Tri-City Union Gospel Mission in Pasco have some sort of health problem, said Executive Director Andrew Porter.

And those health issues keep them from working and end up being one the leading causes of homelessness in the Tri-Cities.

“We’ve seen some pretty devastating medical issues,” said Porter. “People who have had loss of limbs due to diabetes. ... There is definitely a need in the community.”

A new program aims to help them as they leave the hospital and, in turn, ease the pressure on hospitals and emergency rooms.

Officials estimate 150 homeless men each year need additional medical help after leaving Tri-Cities hospitals. Many return to the hospital when their condition worsens because they haven’t been able to keep up with their care.

The mission based in Pasco, with the help of Grace Clinic and Kadlec Regional Medical Center’s foundation and community health division, unveiled a partnership Monday that will offer a respite care service at the mission.

It will start with three, two-man rooms where patients who don’t need full-time care can stay after being discharged from Kadlec in Richland. There they can have a nurse check in on them.

They also are hoping to have Trios Health and Lourdes Medical Center use the service as well.

Grace Clinic, which provides free healthcare to those in need in Benton and Franklin counties, will be providing oversight for the program. The mission is providing the space and the people, while Kadlec is providing $80,000 in funding.

Multiple health issues

Many of the men are suffering from multiple chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease and, sometimes, cancer, that often all come to a head at once, said Susan Campbell, the mission’s wellness coordinator.

When they’re released, they are faced with changing bandages and taking medication at the same time that they’re trying to find food and shelter.

“When I had surgery several years ago, I had a home to go to, and if I needed home health services, they had a place to come and meet those needs,” said Mark Brault, the chief executive officer of Grace Clinic. “If you’re homeless that doesn’t exist.”

The program will allow people to recover with a space and the healthcare services they need, Brault said.

“Not only will we provide these respite services, recovery and potentially home health if they need it, but while they’re here we can provide the food, provide showers, clothing, everything a person would need,” Porter said.

7 years in the making

The mission and other leaders started talking about this service seven years ago, Porter said.

“It’s been a long time. We’ve been looking forward to this day,” he said. “We still have some work to do, but we’re really excited about this new program.”

While the mission has volunteers to provide medical services, there is a need for more intensive services that don’t require people to be in the hospital.

When they started studying the issue seven years ago, they discovered their former location of the men’s shelter on Second Avenue wasn’t adequate.

The new building provided them the space they needed to start it. Porter said they will be able to expand if they need to.

Once they recover, the mission can also offer them help in getting a job or an apartment. Porter said the mission offers case management and recovery programs which help people set and achieve long-term goals.

While the service will only be available for the men’s shelter, they plan on starting a similar service once a new women’s and children’s shelter is built

The Kadlec Foundation and the hospital’s community health division are providing the funding to start the program.

Karen Hayes, the investment manager for the community health program, joined the committee working on the program about a year and a half ago, and was impressed by the efforts that had been going on.

“Our mission at the Kadlec Foundation is to elevate the community’s health, and that is everyone, even people who do not have a home to live in,” said Jim Hall, the foundation’s chief philanthropy officer.

This story was originally published February 8, 2021 at 2:14 PM.