When you don’t have reliable transportation, accessing healthcare becomes another challenge in an already difficult situation. For veterans experiencing homelessness in Salt Lake City, the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System’s mobile medical unit (MMU) offers a solution by bringing essential care directly to them.
Why it matters
The MMU removes a critical barrier to care for a vulnerable population that often feels overlooked by society.
“Utah is a great place to live. I was born and raised here, I love it. But a lot of challenges come when people are in this position. A lot of people, either whether it be of their own choices or not, they feel like not a lot of people know what they go through or, feel like they are unheard a lot of times,” says Jeff Reyes, case manager for homeless veterans at The Road Home.
Behind the scenes
The Road Home, a private nonprofit social services agency established in 1923, works to help people experiencing homelessness step back into the community. Their team of case managers includes dedicated professionals like Reyes who work specifically with veterans.
For Reyes, the MMU is an invaluable resource: “So the mobile clinic is huge, and I actually am a huge advocate for it because, it’s something that comes to them. When you’re in this situation, a lot of people, you know, you may not have a car, you may not have access to transportation. The mobile clinic coming to our clients is some of the best help that could be out there available for them.”
The human connection
Beyond the practical barriers of transportation, Reyes notes that stigma presents another significant challenge for the people he serves.
“I feel like a lot of stigmas have always been placed on the people of this community that are in these kind of situations. Being kind is just a massive thing. We’re all still people at the end of the day.”
The bottom line
What keeps Reyes motivated in his work is seeing positive changes take hold — when individuals begin to believe that better circumstances are possible.
“Actually getting that feeling of helping people and seeing lives start anew and, seeing really bad chapters has been a massive motivational push for me as well as for my coworkers, to keep doing what we do every single day.”
Through partnerships like the one between The Road Home and the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System’s mobile medical unit, veterans experiencing homelessness can access the care they need and begin moving toward stability and hope.