Kudos to Donna Biederman, associate professor, and her entire team for being selected by Duke to submit her institutionally limited nomination application to the Dr. Scholls Foundation. The proposal title “Durham Homeless Care Transitions: Moving Home” requests funding for a one-year period with a start date of January 1, 2022."

Durham Homeless Care Transitions (DHCT) provides connections to care, resources, and support to homeless persons with ongoing medical needs. DHCT also provides short-term housing (aka: medical respite) for persons who are in early stages of recovery or who are at high risk for further injury, or death, without appropriate housing. We strongly believe that housing is a healthcare intervention and do well with acquiring housing for DHCT participants. However, this is just the first step in housing stabilization; ongoing support is necessary to help new residents adjust to indoor living. Items such as furniture, bedding, dishes, pictures, and other household goods are needed to make a house truly feel like home. To that end, DHCT has partnered with the WellNest Housing Support Program, a Duke medical student-led initiative that studies and addresses social drivers of health. WellNest works with community organizations to provide social, financial, and goal-oriented support to newly housed Durham community members with a history of homelessness to break the cycle of chronic homelessness and to alleviate health risks associated with housing insecurity. The program also trains future healthcare providers to understand the relationship between housing and health and to care for people experiencing homelessness. The DHCT: Moving Home Program that will provide persons transitioning from homelessness to housing with emergency short-term housing and move-in costs. WellNest students will work with clients to make their new house a home and support clients before, during, and up to one year post move-in. We anticipate that 35 persons will directly benefit from the program including 15 people transitioning into housing and 20 health professions students who will benefit through mentorship and direct interaction and supportive activities with DHCT clients.