RCI community members participate in Allentown’s Community Health Needs Assessment.

In November, RCI hosted visitors from the Allentown Health Bureau as part of the City’s Community Health Needs Assessment, which is a tool to evaluate gaps in health care and related services in Allentown. Twenty-five people from RCI participated, discussing resources that would improve health and quality of life. “If we could get a shower when we need it. If we could have a place to stay, that would build up our self-esteem. And when our self-esteem is up, everything else goes up, too,” shared one of our community members.

Our unsheltered neighbors have an especially difficult time in the winter, when the temperatures drop and daylight dwindles. While many of us begin preparing for holiday gatherings with family and friends, people experiencing homelessness or housing instability face social isolation, which directly impacts their health and well-being. One community member said, “When you feel so empty. When you feel neglected by society, that’s when you turn to drugs. That’s when you turn to alcohol.”

Visitors from the Allentown Health Bureau visit RCI in our Service Hub.

Thank you to the Allentown Health Bureau for visiting RCI and providing our community members with the opportunity to have their voices heard!