Haven for Hope has partnered with Dallas-based non-profit pharmacy St. Vincent de Paul to provide essential medicine for free to individuals recovering from homelessness.
David Huete, vice president of transformational services at Haven for Hope in San Antonio, told The Dallas Express that the partnership was especially important because it can help such individuals regain stability as they would not have to worry about paying to have their prescription filled while getting themselves back on their feet.
He explained that stability is an important step on the road to recovery for someone who used to live on the street.
“We’re excited to be in this partnership with St. Vincent de Paul of Dallas,” Huete said. “One thing I want to stress is how wonderful it is to help bridge this gap of service for clients who are transitioning out [of homelessness] into the community.”
St. Vincent de Paul is a Dallas-based charitable pharmacy that fills prescriptions and provides free medication for those who otherwise cannot afford it.
“Everybody at Haven for Hope is currently homeless and seeking shelter and housing opportunities,” Huete continued. “So many of our clients are low-income and asset-limited. So when they do move into housing, they have to make a choice … ‘Do I pay my rent? Do I pay for groceries? Do I pay my bills? Do I pay for my medications?’ Any paying for medications is usually the first thing that gets cut when they’re feeling a pinch in their budget. So this program helps fill that gap.”
Huete explained that having proper medication is an essential step for someone recovering from homelessness in their journey to a stable lifestyle. Many people who are homeless suffer from mental illness, and treating that illness must be part of the recovery process.
“What you see is housing instability. A lot of individuals [who] come to Haven [lost] their housing because they aren’t able to manage their mental health. They aren’t able to manage their physical health,” he said. “They have to make decisions where they choose to fund their medications over their rent, so they end up on the street. So this takes that piece out of the puzzle and allows them to maintain that stability.”
He added that signing up to receive medication has been made simple and easy for Haven clients, with St. Vincent de Paul shipping medications from Dallas to San Antonio every few days to ensure they receive them on time.
Luis Gonzalez, CEO of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, also discussed how important it is to provide “free, life-sustaining medicine to individuals vulnerable to homelessness,” as previously covered by DX.
“By addressing the most basic and critical health needs, we empower individuals to overcome obstacles, regain stability, and take that pivotal step towards a brighter future,” he said. “This embodies the true spirit and mission of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, and we are proud to expand our free medication resources through our pharmacy to those susceptible to homelessness.”
The “one-stop shop” model utilized by Haven for Hope, where homeless services are provided on the same campus as emergency housing, has been credited with a 77% reduction in unsheltered homelessness in downtown San Antonio.
Some local stakeholders are now working to bring the model to Dallas as it has polled favorably among city residents. However, it is unclear whether City officials will support the effort.
Polling has found that over 75% of Dallas residents disapprove of the levels of homelessness, vagrancy, and panhandling seen around the city.
