ACCESS Services

The twin crises of housing unaffordability and homelessness have impacted every community in Montgomery County. The spike in people forced to live outside has fueled a public debate that is increasingly polarized and politicized; this has included a sharp increase in sweeps in many municipalities. 

The goal of this demonstration project is to convene, engage and align the Lansdale community in an innovative process that works with encampment residents while they are outside and creates community supported pathways to help them find local, stable housing. 

To provide support to ACCESS Services, a valued and long-standing partner, in advancing their mission to promote equity in the communities they serve and respond to current, urgent needs. 

This initiative will drive community-led solutions by equipping 250 faith and neighborhood leaders with essential knowledge, tools, and resources to address homelessness effectively. Through its Housing & Homeless Services and Intersect divisions, Access Services will implement a targeted outreach strategy through several key activities to engage underrepresented faith communities, fostering deeper collaboration and coordinated action. Strategic engagement with faith leaders will ensure alignment with ongoing county initiatives, leveraging their reach, accelerating partnerships and embedding long-term, community-driven solutions into local networks.

To support Access Services' increased response to the homelessness crisis during Code Blue Winter Weather.

To support one full time employee intended to coordinate Street Medicine services to the homeless population in Montgomery County.  The role of the Street Medicine Outreach Guide is centered around 3 core functions: relational engagement and guiding, aggressive care coordination, and basic medical support.
 

This proof of concept project will develop a community-wide, integrated system of support for families experiencing or at-risk of homelessness. It will equip safety net providers with the tools and training to work alongside with families and to help them secure stability and better futures. The result of this project will be a model to guide referral, intake, and treatment, providing family-driven support for the target population and enabling replication across other risk scenarios

This pilot project will build on the current HealthSpark- funded proof-of-concept project and serve as the next phase to bring street medicine to Montgomery County. The focus will be twofold: collaborate with health provider partnerships that have been formed to provide street medicine in Pottstown, and to maximize the use of technology to develop a service delivery platform. The outcome will be a model that can be replicated across the county, with health providers local to each community. 

Note: this grant award includes unspent funds from the prior grant.

Access Services received grant funds through the Innovation Lab program for their project “Taking it to the Streets”: Bringing Integrated Healthcare to People Who are Homeless. This proof of concept project will develop a sustainable collaboration across multiple service providers and systems. It will create a roadmap for strengthening the safety net in Montgomery County by bringing services in an integrated way to homeless individuals who currently do not have access to treatment. The result of this project will be a plan for implementing viable long-term system change at scale that increases health outcomes for marginalized people through increased service alignment.