Christ House

Comprehensive health care for sick, homeless men and women and assistance in addressing critical issues to break the cycle of homelessness: 24-hour medical care, food services, addictions treatment and housing placement.

Why do we exist?

Christ House exists to provide a place of recovery and healing for sick, homeless men and women.  Christ House is the only facility in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area providing 24-hour health care for homeless persons in a residential setting regardless of how long they need our care, and regardless of their ability to pay for services.

Since opening in December 1985, Christ House has provided patients 24-hour medical care, case management, housing placement assistance, nutritious meals, clothing, and a wide range of other supportive services.

Christ House provides an opportunity for homeless men and women to heal and to address the issues that may have led to their homelessness.  Interdisciplinary teams composed of a physician, a case manager, the director of nursing, a nurse practitioner, and an addictions counselor meet weekly to discuss the ongoing treatment situation of each patient and to work with the patient in developing an individualized plan of action towards healing.  This helps patients achieve their own goals while at Christ House and upon discharge.

Our broad approach to health care meets the patient’s physical, emotional, mental, and social needs.  This approach fosters self-reliance because each patient develops respect for himself and others which eventually leads to him becoming a positive role model in the community.

What have you accomplished?

Since opening, Christ House has admitted nearly 7,000 homeless men and women.  Our patients are treated for an array of illnesses and injuries including fractures, tuberculosis, foot or leg ulcers, HIV/AIDS, heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and cancer.  We provide an average of 10,000 patient-days of care each year.

In 2009, approximately 50 percent of our patients were diagnosed with hypertension, 28 percent with diabetes, 13 percent with HIV or AIDS, and 11 percent with cancer. The majority had more than one diagnosis of chronic or acute illness. We also cared for patients with amputations, hepatitis, tuberculosis, fractures and concussions, and innumerable other illnesses. Two-thirds of our patients came in wheel chairs, walkers, or crutches. In addition to the primary illness(es) for which they were admitted, 90.5 percent of our patients in 2009 acknowledged a history of alcohol or drug abuse, or had a diagnosed mental illness. Twenty-four percent had all three (alcohol, drug, and psychiatric concerns). We also witnessed growth in the number of newly-released prisoners who became homeless and sick. Seventy-five percent of our patients in 2009 were African American males over the age of 50, and 31 percent were veterans of the armed forces. Nearly a third had no income and 64 percent had monthly income under $1,000.

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