WeCare assists Washington’s homeless
Courtesy We Care Street Outreach
We Care Street Outreach works to help the city of Washington’s homeless and underserved population. Run by volunteers, it provides meals, medical care, and other support to those in need.
Courtesy of WeCare Street Outreach
Jake Kotchman recently donated 28 filled backpacks to WeCare Street Outreach to help the nonprofit’s mission to serve the homeless and underserved population in the city of Washington. At left is volunteer Pam Jones.
Since it was launched in December 2009, WeCare Street Outreach has worked tirelessly to help reduce chronic homelessness in the city of Washington.
The outreach program provides routine medical care and medical supplies, food, and clothing to Washington’s homeless and underserved populations.
Over the past decade, the grassroots program has worked to get the homeless off the streets and into rehabilitation programs and permanent housing, and to treat chronic ailments.
Started by Dr. Monica Speicher, a physician at Canonsburg Family Medicine of the Washington Health System, WeCare is modeled after Operation Safety Net, the nationally renowned, Pittsburgh-based program started by street care pioneer Dr. Jim Withers.
The organization is affiliated with Washington’s City Mission, the area’s largest homeless shelter, and is supported 100 percent by volunteers and donors.
Twice a month, at Jefferson Avenue Methodist Church, WeCare provides a meal and a blessing bag that contains a variety of canned food, snacks, and water. The outreach also passes out $10 gift cards to McDonald’s and other restaurants, when available.
Volunteer Pam Jones said between 10 and 30 homeless and people struggling to make ends meet stop by for the dinner, medical attention, and fellowship.
Washington & Jefferson College pre-med students also have assisted Speicher with providing medical care.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, WeCare’s mission has been to meet people’s food-insecurity needs.
Jones said the pandemic has had an impact on the outreach. Instead of meeting indoors in the basement of the church, the gathering is held outside, and people who attended both Mondays each month have dropped by less regularly. But WeCare has served as many as 50 people during the pandemic.
“With COVID it has been hit-or-miss. We never know how many people are going to come, and people who would come every time don’t come every time, and then they’ll pop up,” said Jones.
The outreach also provides clothes, shoes, socks, sleeping bags and blankets, and other items for those who need them.
Jones said WeCare is in need of monetary donations to purchase food for the food room. It also needs items including men’s boots and tennis shoes, extra-large thermal shirts and pants, heavy coats, and sleeping bags.
“I’m proud that we’ve been able to continue through COVID and give them a meal and a blessing bag,” said Jones. “We’ve made the best of it and continued to serve the homeless and people in need, in spite of the circumstances. We will continue to reach as many people as we can.”
To find out more about WeCare Street Outreach and how you can make a donation, visit the nonprofit’s Facebook page.