BY: KRISTIN LAVERGNE

For people experiencing homelessness, accessing health care can be far more complicated than making an appointment.

A visit to a doctor’s office can mean leaving behind valued belongings that could be stolen, damaged, or discarded. Past experiences of trauma or negative treatment in traditional health care settings can make seeking care feel intimidating—or even unsafe. And when someone is focused on finding food, shelter, a restroom, or a safe place to sleep, a medical appointment can understandably fall behind the immediate demands of survival.

At IFC, we believe in meeting people where they are—both literally and figuratively. That belief helped inspire the IFC Drop-In Clinic, a partnership that brings medical care directly to IFC Commons.

For several years, Dr. Tim Daaleman of UNC Family Medicine served on the Orange Partnership to End Homelessness/Continuum of Care Leadership Team and HOME Committee. Through those experiences, he gained a deeper understanding of the significant health needs—and persistent gaps in care—facing people experiencing homelessness.

At the same time, conversations with IFC leadership sparked an important question:

What if medical care could come directly to the place where people already feel welcome and connected?

That idea became reality when UNC Family Medicine received a residency training grant focused on providing care to people experiencing homelessness in non-traditional settings. With pilot funding in place, the IFC Drop-In Clinic was established!

Many IFC members already come to IFC Commons for meals, showers, and other essential services. Offering medical care in this welcoming environment removes barriers and reduces power imbalances between people experiencing homelessness and their medical providers, creating opportunities for connection that might never happen in a traditional medical office.

Every Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Dr. Daaleman and UNC Family Medicine colleagues Marni Holder, RN, and Tim Smith, MPA, provide care in a space adjacent to the Community Kitchen. The clinic addresses minor illnesses and injuries, ongoing health concerns, and follow-up care after a hospital stay.

But its impact reaches far beyond immediate medical needs—at the heart of the clinic is relationship.

“In our brief time, we have been moved by the personal experiences and stories that members share with us and are so grateful for their trust,” reflects Dr. Daaleman.

That trust can open the door to a better understanding of one’s health, more effective management of illness, and support navigating barriers to care. Regular, accessible care can also help prevent health conditions from worsening to the point of requiring emergency treatment.

Perhaps most importantly, the clinic creates space for people to be seen—not simply as patients with a diagnosis, but as whole human beings with stories, experiences, and expertise about their own lives.

By listening to people with lived experience of homelessness, working collaboratively with community partners, and following an evidence-based model centered on meeting people where they are, the Drop-In Clinic is building a stronger, more responsive system of care for our community.

“For many IFC members, trusting others is hard… they have been let down, dismissed, or met with frustration and indignity. Hosting the clinic in a welcoming, familiar place gives our members strength and courage to access both healthcare and other forms of support, and take real steps toward stability,” says Crystell Ferguson, Member Services Advocate.

And the vision continues to grow.There is hope to expand the clinic to include on-site behavioral health services addressing mental health and substance use, wrap-around services that many in our community desperately need.

At IFC, we believe care rooted in dignity and compassion begins with meeting people where they are. Sometimes that means a warm meal, a shower, or a safe place to sleep. And sometimes, it means bringing healing directly to the place where it is needed most.

This piece was first published in IFC’s Fall 2026 Newsletter.