Christ House
Healing and Hope for Washington’s Homeless
PHOTO COURTESY/CHRIST HOUSE
ness difficult. Kent was making just enough money to get by, paying a friend to let him sleep on an armchair to avoid life on the streets, while he continued to pay monthly child support. One day on the job, Kent stubbed his toe and lost his toenail in the process. The hospital told him he should have the toe amputated to prevent further infection, but the thought of taking such a drastic measure scared him.
Kent took prescribed antibiotics instead, but soon after he returned to the hospital by ambulance with fever, chills, and vomiting; the infection had spread. Now, he could no longer delay the inevitable, and his toe was amputated. A hospital social worker discovered that Kent had no place to live and referred him to Christ House. Here, Kent received careful monitoring and dressing changes of his surgical site. He also worked closely with the nursing staff to test his blood sugars and improve his dietary habits. It was a slow road to healing, but as Kent’s blood sugars stabilized, the staff watched the wound finally disappear. Beyond the medical care, though, Kent was naturally drawn to the pastoral life of Christ House and often participated in outings and activities; his favorite pastime was attending Saturday morning art classes. After nearly three months at Christ House, Kent was medically ready to move on. He was cleared to return to work, and with the help of his case worker he entered a long-term, transitional work program for veterans. Without the needed respite of Christ House, our patients would experience slower healing and more complications from conditions like diabetes. Through a holistic, patient-centered approach, we see amazing physical and spiritual transformations every day.
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Thousands of people in the Washington, DC area experience homelessness each year. They wander the streets in all kinds of weather, sleep in overcrowded shelters, and are extremely vulnerable to illness. Hospitals treat homeless patients for emergencies, but they are discharged early and must return to the street where they cannot rest and recuperate. Many people with non-emergency, chronic conditions—wounds, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, cancer, mental illness, heart disease, liver failure, or hypertension have difficulty accessing care. Fortunately, homeless patients can come to Christ House for medical treatment and hope. Christ House is a 34-bed residential heath care facility in Washington, DC where homeless men and women may stay as long as their illness requires. Here they get plenty of rest, nutritious meals, medical care, and other crucial support services. Because most homeless patients lack such a sanctuary, they often see small medical problems spiral out of control. The staff at Christ House recently got to know Kent, a diabetic for whom one small injury created a domino effect of problems for him. Kent, an armed forces veteran, had been working long and often unpredictable hours as a custodian. He was diagnosed with diabetes twenty years ago and understood the basic facts of his condition, but his low income and long work hours made controlling his ill-
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Combined Federal Campaign 1 - Advertising Supplement
September 2012