The Kitchen, Inc.

Geographic areas served: Southwest Missouri

Programs: The kitchens housing and community outreach programs work to prevent and end homelessness in the greater springfield community. The kitchen provides emergency and transitional housing to households that are currently experiencing homelessness. To aid in the transition from homelessness to community housing, the kitchen operates several permanent housing programs that are both site and community based. The kitchen is a community housing development organization (chdo) and has worked on several projects including low income housing tax credit projects. The kitchen also offers a comprehensive set of support services to help ensure long term stability for those we serve. Case management, mental and physical health care, life skills development, work hardening and access to mainstream benefit programs are available. Community outreach programs at the kitchen work to help provide stability to individuals transitioning out of homelessness or in the community. By providing furniture, housewares, clothing and many other items necessary to establish and maintain permanent housing.

the kitchens medical clinic provides safety net services to individuals who lack public or private health insurance and fall below 130% of the federal poverty line. The medical clinic provides a medical home where patients can receive primary health care, specialist visits, prescriptions, mental health, dental, vision and many other services free of charge. The kitchen medical clinic is a model in forming partnerships to provide quality care for those at the most risk in the community. Our partners include local hospitals, universities, mental health providers and numerous volunteer doctors, dentists and healthcare professionals. Not only does the kitchen medical clinic provide primary and specialty care for patients, the clinic also provides innovative services such as health literacy training, diabetic care, nutrition and smoking cessation classes to patients.