Hub of Hope Outcomes Report | 2012

The Hub of Hope is a walk‐in engagement center located under Two Penn Center in Philadelphia, providing social and health services to individuals experiencing long­‐term homelessness living in and around the subway Concourses. The inaugural season lasted from January through April 2012.

Goals of the Hub of Hope

• Assist individuals with the process of moving into permanent housing 
• Connect people to physical and behavioral healthcare, including linkage to on-going primary care treatment
• Utilize peer support to welcome and engage people into services
• Learn necessary, strategic, and effective tools and methods to better assist individuals who are homeless in the long term. 

2012 Accomplishments

• 1317 social service visits from 360 unique individuals
• 292 medical visits from 134 unique individuals
• 103 essential medical assessments and forms completed for housing, services, and benefits
• 95 placements into shelter, treatment, and other housing options around the City
• 30 individuals connected to primary care providers
• Developed a sense of community, not only among the homeless participants, staff, and volunteers in the Hub, but also the neighboring Concourse businesses, SEPTA and Philadelphia police, and partnering provider agencies.
• Offered easy access to health services for individuals experiencing homelessness, along with the ability for consistent follow-­‐up.
• Demonstrated the effectiveness of peer support working with other professionals in creating higher levels of engagement with the people targeted to serve.

2012 Lessons Learned

• Centralized, convenient location promoted initial access and continued follow-­‐up.
• Operating hours created difficulty with appointment follow-­‐through.
• Strength of collaboration with city departments, organizations, and providers made for a strong project. 
• Following up with participants after outreach and engagement, as they utilized other services, kept these individuals more connected to those same services.

Action Steps

• Strategically target efforts of Philadelphia Outreach teams to collaborate and assess, engage, plan, and follow-­‐up with individuals living in and around the Concourse.  
• Explore creative ways to provide consolidated social and health services in easily accessible locations
• Designate specific housing and treatment resources for the longest-­‐term street-­‐dwelling homeless populations in Center City; proactively designate Outreach teams to engage these individuals.