Press Release: San Francisco Community Clinic Consortium Establishes Innovative Partnership with New Pop-Up Clinic at Tiny Home Village

November 15, 2023, San Francisco, CA– Street Outreach Services (SOS), a program of the San Francisco Community Clinic Consortium (SFCCC), is pleased to announce a new pop-up clinic site at 33 Gough Street, an interim housing community made up of 70 tiny homes designed for San Franciscans experiencing homelessness.

SOS, the mobile outreach component of SFCCC’s Healthcare for the Homeless program, has been providing high-quality, non-judgmental health services to unhoused people since 1988. Traveling in a medical van to sites throughout San Francisco, the dedicated team of doctors, nurses, outreach workers, and volunteers create “clinics without walls” at soup kitchens, on city streets, under freeway overpasses, in parks, and now, at a tiny home village. At the request of San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) and San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (SFDHSH), SOS jumped at the chance to begin providing weekly care at the tiny home village, designed by Dignity Moves and managed by Urban Alchemy.

The unique setup of the tiny home village represents a new model of care delivery for the SOS team. “Compared to other SOS sites, it’s more like doing old-fashioned home visits” shares SOS Community Health Worker, Trevor Wong. “It’s easier to find people and follow up with them than if they’re living in a tent and always moving around.” Another SOS provider points out that because a number of organizations are delivering other on-site services, it makes it easier for SOS staff to coordinate additional services for residents.

On days the SOS van visits the tiny home village, Urban Alchemy staff assist by conducting health outreach during their morning breakfast distribution to residents. For patients that require medical services not available through SOS, the tiny homes’ central location in the South of Market neighborhood enables SOS staff to conveniently refer clients to nearby SFCCC member clinics, or those run by SFDPH.

“The success of the tiny home village partnership speaks to the power of collaboration to address critical community health issues like homelessness”, says SFCCC CEO Johanna Liu, “SFCCC is a convener: whether we’re bringing our 12 member health centers together, or coordinating with other community based organizations to serve our SOS clients, our role is to provide leadership and foster innovation based on over forty years of experience as local safety net experts serving San Francisco’s most vulnerable residents.”