Joseph Kiesler, MD, Department of Family Medicine, University of Cincinnati, 338 Crescent Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45215, 513.679.5420, kieslehj@fammed.uc.edu

To improve the awareness of homeless resources among the homeless and those that assist them, we identified and mapped agencies in Cincinnati that provide services to the homeless. Of those identified, thirty-one agreed to be listed on the Clifton area map and seventy-one agreed to be listed on the Downtown map. Of those that declined, the main reasons were limited resources and fear of being overwhelmed with homeless individuals arriving at their locations. Identified resources were grouped into the following categories: shelters, housing, meals, groceries, medical/dental, substance treatment programs, financial, educational, jobs/employment, legal, and personal care. The location of each resource was identified on the map by a number and icon that could be crossed-referenced to a table that lists the phone numbers, addresses and bus routes for each resource. Color test maps, 36 x42”, were printed and placed in a shelter, food pantry, university emergency room, and a homeless mental health clinic. Qualitative evaluations by staff at the test sites revealed that the homeless were identifying resources from the maps and self-referring themselves to the agencies. Staff members also stated that they learned about new resources from the maps. Barriers to the project included frequent changes in the existence, location and/or phone number of identified resources and cost of printing maps. Future plans include the distribution of 11x17” maps that agencies would give to the homeless and creating a web version of the maps so that agencies could identify resources and print their own maps.

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