Healthcare for the Homeless

Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, often called BHCHP, is a nonprofit health care organization whose mission is to ensure equitable and dignified access to high-quality care for every individual and family experiencing homelessness in Boston. Founded in 1985, it brings primary care, behavioral health and other services directly to people where they are, through clinics in shelters and hospitals, outreach on the streets and a main clinic in the South End near Boston Medical Center.

The program is closely associated with Dr. Jim O’Connell, its longtime leader, whose work with people sleeping on Boston’s streets was chronicled in Tracy Kidder’s book Rough Sleepers. One of its best-known services is the Barbara McInnis House, a medical respite facility where people without homes can recover from illness or surgery. BHCHP appears in Meet Boston’s voluntourism listings, and visitors and residents can support its work through volunteering and donations.

What to Know

• BHCHP is a 501(c)(3) charity, and gifts are tax-deductible within the limits of the law.
• It receives funding from the US Department of Health and Human Services.
• The program has Federal Public Health Service deemed status for certain health-related claims, including malpractice.
• Its services extend to families as well as individuals experiencing homelessness.