Aftercare of the

Homeless
Helping to Heal Philly’s Homeless

Jacquie Dichter, Ruth Jacques, Joi-yah Longstratt, Edilawit Mengistu, Sahmshi Khan
Who are the Homeless?

 Single people
 Families with children
 Couples
 Youth
 Veterans
 Possibly You
Philly’s Causes of Homelessness

 Poverty
 26%

 Lack of affordable housing

 PHA

 106 hours
 Health care
 Racial inequality
 Domestic violence
Culture of the Homeless

 Varied
 Survival
 Episodic Lifestyle
 Diet
 Hierarchy
 Health Issues of the Homeless
Disease Signs & Symptoms Chronic or Prevention & Treatment
Acute
HIV/Hepatitis Fever, fatigue, joint pain, loss Chronic Antivirals for extended periods; symptom
of appetite management; avoiding risky behaviors

Drug use Drug seeking behavior, Chronic Detox, therapy

tremors, paranoia, hallucinations

Mental Health Depression, anxiety, Chronic Medication management, therapy

Disorders hallucinations

Cardiac Shortness of breath, chest Chronic Surgery, lifestyle modifications,

Disease pain, high blood pressure medications
Caring for the Homeless

 Building trust
 Compassion
 Invisibility
 Personal Possessions
Aftercare of the Homeless

 Why?
 70%

 How
 Discharge instructions
 Future contact
Philly Specific Resources

 Facility
 Philadelphia Office of Homeless Services
 215-232-1984

 Project HOME
 Free Library of Philadelphia
 References
Bennett, S. N., Lee, Y., Littke, B., & Manutasna, J. (2013). Transcultural Nursing. Retrieved from
http://freebooks.uvu.edu/transcultural_nursing/03_Homeless_Culture.php.
City of Philadelphia, Medical Examiner’s Office, Department of Public Health. (2017). Homeless Death Review Report
2011-2015 [PDF file]. Retrieved from http://philadelphiaofficeofhomelessservices.org/wp-
content/uploads/2016/08/homeless-death-report-2011-2015.pdf
Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.). Viral Hepatitis (A, B, C) Symptoms & Treatment. Retrieved from
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/4245-hepatitis-viral-hepatitis-a-b--c.
Dichter, J. (Photographer). (2019). Homeless encampment near Community College [photograph]. Philadelphia, PA:
unpublished.
Dorney-Smith, S., Schneller, K., Aboim, S., Radcliffe, M., Tanner, N., Ungpakorn, R., O’Brien, R., & Hall, A. (2018).
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doi:10.7748/ns.2018.e11155
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Treatment of Homeless People. Deutsches Arzteblatt international, 114(40), 673-679. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2017.0673
Mayo Clinic. (2019). HIV/AIDS. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hiv-aids/symptoms-
causes/syc-20373524.
Pollio, D. E., Batey, D. S., Bender, K., Ferguson, K., & Thompson, S. (2013). Technology Use among Emerging Adult
Homeless in Two U.S. Cities. Social Work, 58(2), 173–175. doi:10.1093/sw/swt006
Project HOME. (2019). Facts on Homelessness. Retrieved from https://www.projecthome.org/about/facts-homelessness.
Stevenson, E., & Purpuro, T. (2018). Homeless people. Nursing, 48(6), 58–62. doi:10.1097/01.nurse.0000531009.47966.19
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