Julia Dobbins

Julia Dobbins is the Director of Programs and Services for NIMRC.

While medical respite has grown exponentially in the last ten years, it is still a fairly recent addition to the homeless health care field with the earliest programs beginning in the 1980s. Only 35 states have medical respite programs and of those, only a few have five or more programs in their state. To raise awareness and gain community buy-in, programs must demonstrate with evidence how medical respite care adds value to health systems and facilitates a better continuum of care for very vulnerable clients.

Julia Dobbins is the Director of Programs and Services for NIMRC.

Medical respite care is a fairly recent phenomenon, with the earliest programs beginning in the mid-1980s. As the need for medical respite care for people experiencing homelessness has grown, communities have responded by developing their own unique programs using the resources available to them.

Julia Dobbins is the Director of Programs and Services for NIMRC.

I’ve seen the long term impact a medical respite stay can have on someone’s life. Providing a safe place for people to be when they are sick or hurt is imperative to our collective humanity. Until we eradicate homelessness from this country, NIMRC will be here to ensure that people without homes have a place to heal and recover, and that our communities have the training, resources, and support to build these programs.