The practice of street medicine is focused on providing medical care to people experiencing homelessness at the locations where they are based. Street medicine is as much about treating or preventing ailments as it is about building relationships and trust with patients, many of whom have been ostracized from other medical care venues.

In Chicago, The Night Ministry has been supporting unsheltered people with health care, social services, food, clothing, and housing since 1976. The nonprofit acquired a mobile health clinic in 1988 and has been a leader in serving Chicago’s most vulnerable residents, be it with primary medical care or a cup of coffee on a frigid cold winter night. The organization also does outreach without the bus at every major homeless tent encampment in Chicago, where doctors and other health care providers will do welfare checks with people there and provide care.

Through their work, The Night Ministry has been able to build ties with the communities they serve. “This bus… is an angel bus,” said Anthony Freeman, one of Night Ministry’s clients. “Great memories are in this bus,” said Cookie, a client of the Night Ministry.

Last year, The Night Ministry helped 479 find housing, including 51 children, served 4,500 people experiencing homeless, and performed over 2,400 health assessments for people who otherwise might not have had the opportunity to get a medical check-up. They also prevented 533 visits to the emergency room through their proactive care and served 57,770 meals. An estimated 80,000 people in Chicago are experiencing homelessness, according to the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless.

“We want them to feel like they’re human, because sometimes they feel a little less than,” said David Wywialowski, Night Ministry’s director of health outreach. “Don’t shy away from homelessness. Notice that it’s there and think about ways you act,” he said.  

“As a human you have the right to be healthy… we can teach people to change their life, so they can have a better life,” said Carolle Derradji, a nurse practitioner with The Night Ministry.

Direct Relief and Emmy-nominated Filmmaker Olly Riley-Smith joined The Night Ministry in January as they used their mobile clinic and outreach program to provide critical services to their clients during the dead of Chicago’s winter.

Through the Fund for Health Equity, and the AbbVie Foundation, Direct Relief awarded The Night Ministry $250,000 to support their mobile outreach program, including funding to provide medical care and social services to those sleeping on city trains, in tent encampments, and on streets across Chicago.