Circle the City has begun offering tours of its Medical Respite Center, located at 333 W. Indian School Road, on the third Thursday of each month to familiarize local residents, supporters and other stakeholders with the facility and the impact it has on patients who are served there.
Circle the City is a nonprofit agency that serves the medical needs of Maricopa County’s homeless population. The agency takes in medically fragile homeless people who have experienced a serious medical issue, helping to keep them from going back to the emergency room.
Housed in a former security company building, the 16,800-square-foot, 50-bed medical facility gives hospitals a place to safely discharge homeless adult patients who need supervised medical care during their recovery period. Patients also are referred from shelters and other community service organizations.
The center provides on-site psychologists and physical therapists, as well as social workers to help find transitional housing, apply for benefits if available, and connect transitioning patients to employment resources.
Since its opening in September 2012, the Medical Respite Center has helped more than 550 homeless individuals recover from illness and injuries, and connected approximately 80 percent of those patients with housing other than the streets or emergency shelter systems when discharged.
Tours take place between 1-2 p.m. on the third Thursday each month. Advance registration is encouraged. To register or for more information, call 602-361-5808 or visit www.circlethecity.org.
