Accessing healthcare can be difficult for anyone experiencing homelessness. Transportation challenges, uncertainty about where to seek help, and previous experiences with service systems can all stand between a person and the support they need.
Integrated Healthcare Systems created its Homeless Outreach Transitional Stabilization & Wellness Program, known as the HOST Program, to help close that gap. What began as a walk-in pop-up clinic in 2021 has grown into a countywide street outreach effort that brings medical care, behavioral health support, case management, and peer support directly to people experiencing homelessness.
How the HOST Program Has Grown
The HOST Program began with a simple but important goal: make essential care easier to reach.
In its first year, the walk-in clinic enrolled 66 people. As the team learned more about the barriers facing people without stable housing, the program evolved beyond a clinic-based model. Outreach workers began taking services into the community, connecting with people in the places where they were already living or spending time.
Today, IHCS provides outreach at 20 locations throughout Palm Beach County. From 2022 through 2025, the program served 1,896 people experiencing chronic homelessness.
This growth reflects more than an increase in enrollment. It shows how community-based care can reach people who may not otherwise enter a traditional healthcare setting.
Bringing Integrated Care Into the Community
The four-person IHCS Outreach Team brings together several areas of expertise. The team includes a board-certified nurse practitioner, medical assistant, mental health counselor, and peer specialist.
Through this multidisciplinary approach, outreach can address interconnected needs, including:
- Medical care and health concerns
- Behavioral health support
- Case management and service coordination
- Peer support grounded in understanding and encouragement
- Connections to continuing healthcare and community resources
Rather than expecting someone to navigate several disconnected systems, the IHCS HOST Program creates an accessible starting point for coordinated support.
Why Homeless Outreach Services in Palm Beach County Matter
People experiencing homelessness often face immediate priorities such as finding food, staying safe, or locating a place to sleep. Scheduling and traveling to a medical or behavioral health appointment may not be realistic under those circumstances.
Street outreach changes where care begins. Team members go into the community, listen to each person’s concerns, and offer support based on their circumstances and readiness.
Meeting people where they are also means recognizing that accepting help is not always an immediate decision. A person may need several conversations before feeling comfortable discussing a health concern, completing an assessment, or connecting with ongoing services.
That is why consistency matters. When outreach professionals return, follow through, and treat each person with dignity, they create opportunities for trust to develop over time.
Trust Is Part of the Work
For someone who has experienced instability, trauma, stigma, or disappointment from previous systems, trust cannot be assumed. It must be earned through respectful and reliable engagement.
A first interaction may involve answering a question or addressing an immediate concern. Later visits may create space for a health screening, behavioral health conversation, or referral. Each respectful encounter can help strengthen the relationship.
This patient approach is central to HOST. Bringing care directly to people is not only about overcoming a transportation barrier. It is also about establishing a human connection that can become the foundation for continued support.
Partnerships Extend the Program’s Reach
Countywide outreach depends on collaboration. IHCS works with Trinity Counseling Center, whose three-person outreach team provides contracted outreach services alongside the broader effort.
This partnership expands the number of professionals available to engage people throughout Palm Beach County. It also supports a more connected community response, helping outreach services reach more locations while maintaining a focus on individual needs.
From One Clinic to 20 Outreach Locations
The HOST Program’s development since 2021 illustrates what can happen when services adapt to the realities of the people they are intended to support.
A walk-in pop-up clinic created an initial point of access. Countywide outreach brought that access closer. Integrated medical, behavioral health, case management, and peer services made the response more comprehensive. Ongoing engagement made room for trust.
Today, the program’s presence at 20 locations represents a sustained commitment to meeting people where they are, both physically and emotionally. For people experiencing chronic homelessness, that first respectful connection may open the door to care, stability, and longer-term support.
