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Overview
Christ House opened in December 1985 as one of the first residential medical facilities for the homeless in the United States.  Today, this 33-bed facility is still the only such mission in Washington, DC providing 24-hour medical care for sick, homeless men and women.  Our patients suffer from an array of illnesses and injuries including cancer, diabetes, kidney and liver diseases, HIV/AIDS, respiratory ailments, fractures, frostbite, hypertension, tuberculosis, severe lacerations and burns from sleeping on heat grates.  Most patients suffer with multiple diagnoses. 

The average patient stay is approximately 35 days, but no patient is discharged until medically stable.  From the beginning, our admission criteria have been that a patient must be homeless and too ill to be on the street or in a shelter.

Once admitted to Christ House, patients receive medical care, case management, nutritious meals, clothing, addictions treatment, long-term housing placement assistance and other supportive services.  Christ House is staffed by 47 full-time employees, 25 part-time employees and approximately 240 volunteers.  This staff includes 4 physicians, 4 nurse practitioners, 6 registered nurses, and 8 yearlong volunteers.

Since opening, Christ House has had more than 5,900 admissions representing over 3,600 individual homeless persons.  Christ House is an essential link in the continuum of care for the homeless of Washington, DC.  Several times each week, patients are admitted from local hospitals, clinics, shelters or medical outreach projects that serve those who are homeless and poor.