When people think about health, they often focus on conditions like diabetes, heart disease, or high blood pressure. Yet oral health plays a critical role in overall well-being. Healthy teeth and gums affect our ability to eat, speak, sleep, work, and even connect with others. Poor oral health can lead to pain, infection and tooth loss and has been linked to many serious chronic health conditions. For individuals experiencing homelessness, maintaining oral health can be especially difficult. Most people take having access to a toothbrush, toothpaste, clean water and a safe place to store personal belongings for granted. For [...]

Fourth Street Clinic is encouraged to see a reported 1.6% decrease in homelessness reflected by the 2026 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count. Although modest, this progress demonstrates what is achievable when healthcare providers, housing partners, outreach teams, municipalities and community organizations work together in a coordinated and sustained way. We see what expanding collaboration, strengthening street outreach efforts, increasing behavioral health coordination, and connecting individuals to healthcare, housing navigation and supportive services can do. These collective efforts matter, and the PIT Count results suggest the community is taking small steps in the right direction.   At the same time, the PIT Count represents only a [...]

Mental health challenges, substance use disorder and homelessness are often deeply connected – and deeply misunderstood. Stigma, past trauma, and broken trust can make seeking care feel impossible, leaving many without the support they need. At Fourth Street Clinic, we believe care begins with meeting people where they are at, building trust and providing compassionate behavioral health care and substance use disorder support that treats the whole person, not just their addiction. At just 21, Atreyo began experiencing homelessness, cycling in and out of the prison system while battling substance use disorder for over a decade. Exhausted and ready [...]

April is Minority Health and Stress Awareness Month and from 4/6 - 4/12, it is also Public Health Week! Public Health Week highlights the conditions and circumstances that shape health outcomes across communities, and homelessness remains one of the most urgent public health challenges in the US. For minorities, the health issues associated with homelessness are intensified, due to what researchers describe as “weathering,” or the cumulative impact of repeated social and economic adversity.1 This includes both the stress of homelessness and the ongoing strain of systemic inequities. As we know, homelessness places individuals in a constant state of [...]