CIRCLE THE CITY’S FISCAL YEAR ENDS WITH BIG BOOST FROM THE BOB & RENEE PARSONS FOUNDATION.

Homeless healthcare nonprofit receives second $250,000 grant to support its medical respite center operations

A $250,000 grant from The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation will support ongoing operations of the Circle the City Medical Respite Center, a 50-bed medical facility serving men and women experiencing homelessness in Maricopa County. Circle the City not only provides those struggling with homelessness with a place to heal, but offers programs that help break the cycle of homelessness. Since its opening in 2012, the medical respite center – located at 333 W. Indian School Road – has helped more than 550 homeless men and women recover from illnesses and injuries and has discharged approximately 80 percent of those individuals to living situations other than the street or emergency shelter systems.

“We have witnessed the profound changes that can occur when individuals are offered the simple opportunity to rest and heal – medically, mentally and spiritually,” said Sister Adele O’Sullivan, CSJ, M.D., Circle the City’s founder and chief medical officer. “We are grateful to Bob and Renee Parsons for their ongoing financial support and for recognizing how it has impacted the health and well-being of the patients we serve.”

For nearly three years, the medical respite center has been easing the financial burden on hospitals, shelters and emergency responders by providing people experiencing homelessness a place to recuperate during periods of illness or injury. During each patient’s recovery, which averages 30 to 45 days, individuals also receive access to critical psychiatric evaluation and treatment, case management services and other social supports necessary to complete their recovery and live a healthy and independent life after discharge.

“Circle the City is making great strides in addressing the complex medical needs of homeless individuals,” said Renee Parsons. “The need is great, and there are thousands more who can benefit from the healing and hope that is provided there.”

Patients are referred to Circle the City directly off the streets, from shelters or other community-based agencies that serve the homeless but are not equipped to provide for their medical needs. Many join the program after being discharged from local hospitals and emergency rooms to continue the recovery process, something that is practically impossible to manage while navigating the immense challenges of homelessness.

“The generous funding we have received from The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation has helped propelled forward our vision of addressing the unmet healthcare needs of the more than 17,000 individuals who experience homelessness in Maricopa County each year,” said Brandon Clark, chief executive officer at Circle the City.

Thanks to a $2 million grant awarded to Circle the City by The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation in 2014, clients who are discharged from the medical respite center will soon have access to ongoing outpatient medical support at The Parsons Family Health Center, a homeless-focused primary care facility that is set to open later this summer. Circle the City will operate the health center in alignment with a mobile medical unit and the medical respite center to provide a continuum of care that was previously unavailable to the homeless population in Maricopa County.  To learn more, visit  www.circlethecity.org.