My Nonprofit Reviews

Project Homeless Connect was an eye-opener, my experience made me realize how lucky I am to have a place to stay, a job, an education and to be grateful for what I have. Being homeless makes one vulnerable to environmental hazards and related health issues, such as pneumonia. As a nurse, I am committed to help the sick, poor, hungry, and homeless in any way that I can. PHC is a basic foundation of what the nursing profession is all about because of the medical aspect of the service. Being able to put a smile on another person’s face is a great achievement. I was able to put a smile on the peoples’ face just by saying hello and good morning. I was responsible for handing out soft drinks and water to the clients; they were thrilled that they actually had a choice to pick from 4 types of sodas or water; however, I wish they had more choices to pick from. These people are not often given a choice in life, but it was an opportunity for them to make their own decision and be responsible. The city of San Francisco is one of a kind by offering such programs as PHC. A health program, like PHC, helps the homeless work out personal issues related to their homelessness. Providing a health service under a protective roof makes them feel more accepted and cared for, because most of them sleep on the streets. They are out in the cold, rain, the hot sun, and dark violent nights, where they are vulnerable to violence and sexual abuse. This free service makes homelessness more tolerable and manageable to such individuals, by knowing that they can get help and free heath service every 2 months. It is also another way for the city to prevent the transmission of disease. It is better to have free heath care to treat diseases rather than pay billions of dollars after a majority of the public has been affected. A regular clinic is another way the homeless can get service; however, they might be required to pay small amount of money, which most of them cannot afford. If I were to choose between a clinic and PHC, I would choose the clinic, only if I can afford the payments; otherwise, I would choose PHC. Most homeless people do not have any income, and so they must rely on the free program, offered every 2 months. By choosing a clinic, I am one less person in line, thus allowing others who are more vulnerable to have the opportunity to free health care. If PHC was the only health care available, people would choose PHC, because it offers all the services people desperately need, such as counseling, eye exam, medical exam, hair cut, vaccination, detox program, domestic violence help, housing and California identification cards. If individuals refuse to go to PHC, they are left with no other alternative. Being a homeless does not mean sleeping on the streets, however, it can be anything from not having a job, education and financial problem especially during this economic recession we face today. I had the opportunity to talk to some clients, who had interesting stories to tell about being homeless, how they became homeless and how they struggle to get by every day. I am really glad that I attended PHC and am hoping to attend the next one in the future if time permits. There are really good people amongst the homeless and I want to reach out to them in any way that I can.

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