Broad Street Love

 

Serving Radical Hospitality at Broad Street Love: Food, Mail, and Service

 

Student Interns:          

Jesse Devlin, Drexel University College of Medicine

Caitlin Farnsworth, Drexel University College of Medicine

 

Academic Preceptor:   
Annette Gadegbeku, MD, Drexel University College of Medicine

 

Community Preceptor:
Nikki Brown, MSW, Broad Street Love

 

Community Site:
Broad Street Love, formerly Broad Street Ministry, is a transformative organization rooted in Philadelphia, renowned for its practice of radical hospitality. The organization recently changed its name to increase inclusivity and make the space more welcoming for individuals from different walks of life. Through a diverse range of services such as meal programs, case management, reentry support, and personal care services, Broad Street Love creates a welcoming environment that honors the dignity of every individual it serves. The organization’s approach emphasizes trauma-aware and person-centered care, ensuring that each interaction is compassionate and supportive. With its commitment to fostering community and providing essential resources, Broad Street Love stands as a beacon of compassion and empowerment in Philadelphia’s social service landscape.

 

Team’s Experience:
The Bridging the Gaps student interns focused on supporting Broad Street Love by assisting with various operational tasks, including distributing guest mail, organizing mail, signing up individuals for mailboxes, and completing official documentation for licensing purposes. The interns served meals during lunch service, aided with phone calls and guest inquiries through the concierge service, and conducted data entry and evaluation as part of efforts to streamline guest services by transferring information from an older system to an updated one, which enhances integration across Broad Street Love’s resources. The data transfer will also allow Broad Street Love to provide funders with accurate data to increase funding for its programs. 

 

Reflections:  
Jesse Devlin: “Volunteering at Broad Street Love was a profound experience that broadened my understanding of service and community. We immersed ourselves wherever help was needed, whether it was serving meals, managing the mailroom, or consolidating data. Witnessing firsthand how these efforts directly impacted around 400 clients daily was humbling and inspiring. Interacting with the dedicated staff, I gained a deeper appreciation for the concept of radical hospitality—treating each person with the utmost respect and dignity, mirroring the warmth of a host welcoming guests into their home. This experience taught me valuable lessons about empathy, resilience, and the power of compassionate care in creating a supportive environment for all.”

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Caitlin Farnsworth: “Working at Broad Street Love this past summer has profoundly shaped my professional and personal growth. Engaging with individuals from diverse backgrounds has broadened my perspective and deepened my empathy for the unhoused population. Moreover, confronting the bureaucratic challenges faced by the unhoused population has highlighted the resilience required to navigate systemic barriers, leaving a lasting impact on my understanding of social justice issues. The experience has been pivotal in improving my communication skills, allowing me to effectively collaborate with staff at Broad Street Love and engage compassionately with guests. Additionally, gaining hands-on experience with Excel and data management has equipped me with practical skills I would otherwise not be exposed to. Overall, witnessing the dedication of the staff at Broad Street Love, operating with limited resources, has fostered admiration and inspired me to contribute more actively to such causes.”

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Covenant House Pennsylvania

 

Youth Resilience While Living in a Safe Haven

 

Student Interns:

Julia Denlinger, University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine

Carlos Muniz, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine

 

Academic Preceptors:

Hillary R. Bogner, MD, MSCE, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine

Donald L. Boyer, MD, MSEd, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine

Abigail Quinn Peterson, DMD, MPH, University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine

 

Community Preceptors:

Kenneth R. Ginsburg, MD, MSEd, FAAP, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

David Maddox, MDiv, Covenant House Pennsylvania

 

Community Site:

Covenant House Pennsylvania provides shelter, support, and comprehensive services to homeless, runaway, and trafficked youth in Philadelphia who are under the age of 21. It provides a safe haven where young people can access housing, meals, medical care, education, job training, and counseling to help them build independent and successful futures. Covenant House Pennsylvania focuses on providing unconditional support and advocacy for vulnerable youth, ensuring that they have the resources and opportunities needed to break the cycle of homelessness and achieve their potential.

 

Team’s Experience:

Through weekly programming at the site, the Bridging the Gaps student interns provided the residents with lessons on stress relief, exercise, nutrition, oral health, and smoking cessation. To effectively connect with the youth, the interns offered activities that would be interesting to them, such as coloring and playing basketball. They made and hung flyers around the site so youth could learn about different topics on their own and approach the interns if they had any questions. The interns also helped with clinic intakes and worked in acute care interactions, which gave them additional opportunities to assist the youth with their healthcare needs.

 

Reflections:

Julia Denlinger and Carlos Muniz: “Our time at Covenant House has been more impactful than either of us could have imagined. At a professional level, we learned the importance of setting boundaries while serving any population in order to uphold professionalism, protect our personal well-being, and build healthy relationships. In addition, we learned the importance of a resilience-based, trauma-sensitive approach to more effectively communicate with youth. At a personal level, we experienced firsthand the power in community during a time of hardship and grief, an experience we will carry throughout the rest of our personal and professional lives.”

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Depaul USA, Philadelphia

 

A Hands-on Trinity of Collaboration

 

Student Interns: 

Sogand Karimian, Drexel University College of Medicine

Caroline Wang, Drexel University College of Medicine

 

Academic Preceptor:

Steven Peitzman, MD, FAACP, Drexel University College of Medicine

 

Community Preceptor:

Brendan Sculley, MSW, Depaul USA

 

Community Site:

Depaul USA opened its first program in Philadelphia in 2009 and now runs five programs: a recovery house, supportive housing for individuals with chronic health conditions and a history of housing instability, transitional housing for college students experiencing homelessness, rapid rehousing, and a social enterprise that offers employment opportunities for residents and graduates of the recovery program. Depaul aims to provide comprehensive services, including housing, case management, financial assistance, and employment assistance, to help individuals transition out of homelessness and into lives of greater stability and fulfillment.

 

Team’s Experience:

The Bridging the Gaps student interns worked at three sites: St. Joseph’s House, St. Raymond’s House, and Depaul House. St. Joseph’s House provides housing for college students experiencing housing insecurity, St. Raymond’s House provides supportive housing for individuals with chronic health conditions who have also experienced chronic homelessness, and Depaul House is a recovery house for men with substance use disorders. Because of the different populations at each house, the role of the interns varied at each site to meet the unique needs of the residents. At St. Joseph’s House, the interns conducted workshops on healthy eating, recognizing burnout and self-care, professionalism and interview skills, and sexual health. The interns organized the clothing donation closet, collected professional clothing donations, and set up partnerships with organizations to provide residents with professional clothing at no cost. They also created a community grocery and meal guide with information on local grocery stores and food pantries as well as recipes for affordable and balanced meals; the guide was shared as a template for Depaul programs across the country. The interns also adapted the recipe book for bulk cooking at St. Raymond’s and Depaul House. At St. Raymond’s House, the interns assisted the residents with their daily needs and helped schedule medical appointments. At Depaul House, the interns organized professional clothing donations and helped unload and sort the weekly Philabundance food donations.  

 

Reflections:

Sogand Karimian: “As a BTG intern, I see the direct parallel between my career in healthcare and my time at the Depaul Philadelphia sites. This internship highlighted the importance of listening to the community, brainstorming with them ideas that can benefit them, and considering the environment, staff, and residents when it comes to making positive changes at the houses, no matter the size of the difference. We were able to put together numerous workshops and projects, such as the cookbook and cleaning out the closets, that were not immediately used by residents but did get used over time with us talking to them about the resources and taking the time to educate them. BTG really emphasized for me how important it is to listen to understand and to collaborate to benefit the community we work with and not just to see a project come to fruition. It highlighted the need to tailor care and programs to the individual, especially since each Depaul house has their own unique needs even if they are all facing house insecurity. At the end of the day, we are not defined by our struggles, and we must take the time to know a person beyond their struggles to help them succeed.”

 

Caroline Wang: “The BTG internship has given me further insight into the intersectionality of homelessness, physical and mental health, and substance use. I have seen the challenges of navigating a system that requires people to exhaust all their options before offering support, creating additional barriers for people to access the resources and care they need. Despite these challenges, I have also seen people’s resilience. Through my interactions with the residents at each house, I am constantly reminded of our shared humanity and how sometimes the best thing we can do for someone is to be there for them and meet them where they are at. Instead of pushing our own agendas or doing what we think is best, we can build stronger, trusting relationships and achieve better outcomes by first being present and listening to the community members.”

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Lutheran Settlement House, Jane Addams Place

 

Summer Programming at Jane Addams Place

 

Student Interns:

Delaney Cooper, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University

Nicole Sweeney, Temple University, College of Public Health, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences and School of Social Work

 

Academic Preceptors:

Ingrid Mapanao, MSW, MPH, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University

Brian Work, MD, MPH, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University

Jerome Wright, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University

 

Community Preceptor:

Latisha Brown, MSW, Manager of Children and Youth Services, Lutheran Settlement House

 

Community Site:

Jane Addams Place at Lutheran Settlement House gives families a safe, welcoming, and dignified place to live while they plan for their next steps. It is a short-term family shelter that provides comprehensive case management services, trauma therapy, nutritious meals, and individual rooms for families. Families can also use the courtyard, gym, “Bright Spaces” activity room, and computer lab.

 

Team’s Experience:

The Bridging the Gaps student interns assisted in summer programming events at Jane Addams Place, working primarily with children and adolescents. Programming included arts and crafts, gym activities, courtyard games, movie days, field trips, and gardening. Interns created a new dental hygiene program called “Floss Olympics,” involving dental trivia, a dental supplies scavenger hunt, and relay races with flossing, puzzles, and physical coordination challenges. Prizes and dental hygiene bags from Penn Dental were provided to participants. The interns also oversaw the teen summer employment program, organized donations, performed chart audits, and completed room inspections.

 

Reflections:

Delaney Cooper: “JAP treats every resident, no matter their circumstances, with respect, dignity, and individualized care to meet them where they are. For instance, every space in the building is breastfeeding friendly, there is no drug testing policy, and there are spaces for enrichment with games, programming, and the gym. Not only is this informed by a trauma-sensitive model, but it is what one human being would (and do) do for another. I believe JAP is not only a place to stay, but a place to live while residents work on next steps for their housing and their future. I will carry forward the compassion and perseverance that the staff at JAP have shown, even with the seemingly little things such as asking how someone’s day is (as the front desk staff do for every person who enters the building), filing appeals with insurance companies and advocating for patients when they are not receiving the highest quality care (like the social workers filing appeals for housing), and finding time to see someone if they are late to an appointment (much like the flexibility of case manager appointments or converting to a phone call to accommodate a resident’s work schedule). My time here has made me very wary of my recommendations for future patients, because you never know the effort it may take someone to fill a prescription or get to an appointment, especially during normal business hours. Many single parents at JAP are juggling taking their children to childcare, counseling, and meals; going to work; attending case manager meetings; and searching for housing (which in and of itself is a full-time job). I cannot imagine fitting all of that into a day, much less trying to get to the doctor.”

 

Nicole Sweeney: “My internship experience at Jane Addams will serve as an inflection point in my career as it has illuminated the importance of meeting people where they are and treating them as human beings, above all. The struggle to find stable housing can impact anyone. Working at Jane Addams has underlined the hard truth: I am a representation of every individual who walks through the door. Regardless of what circumstances led them to Jane Addams, it has become central to my approach as a health professional to care for them with the respect, dignity, and compassion that I would want if it were myself in their shoes. This internship has deepened my commitment to human-centered and trauma-sensitive care, inspiring me to use my MPH/MSW degrees to advocate for equitable access to healthcare and social services so that those most vulnerable no longer fall through the cracks into homelessness and poverty. I believe that with adequate resources, system-level changes, and amplifying the voices and needs of those affected by social inequities, such as homelessness, it is truly possible to transform our system. This internship has not only given me the opportunity to connect my passions for health promotion and social justice, but also has helped me to envision what I may one day do in these fields to actualize the possibilities of health equity.”

 

Red Shield Family Residence at the Salvation Army

 

Building Strong Bonds and Promoting Connectivity With Youth at the Red Shield Family Residence

 

Student Interns:

Nidhi Patel, Temple University, School of Podiatric Medicine

Sally Shin, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University

 

Academic Preceptors:

Ingrid Mapanao, MSW, MPH, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University

Brian Work, MD, MPH, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University

Jerome Wright, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University

 

Community Preceptors:

Zoie Bissic, Youth Services Coordinator, Red Shield Family Residence

Jonathan Schmid, MSW, Assistant Director, Red Shield Family Residence

 

Community Site:

The Red Shield Family Residence at the Salvation Army is an emergency housing program that provides room and board as well as intensive case management and family services. It welcomes individuals across many walks of life and connects them to jobs, school, work programs, mental health services, and substance abuse treatment programs. Case managers develop strong bonds with individuals and establish goals to keep them focused on moving forward and equip them with the resources they need to achieve self-sufficiency.

 

Team’s Experience:

The Bridging the Gaps student interns focused on nurturing creativity and strengthening community bonds among resident youth (aged 4 to 15). They programmed activities, including arts and crafts sessions and field trips, aimed at fostering meaningful connections and encouraging self-expression among the children. The interns also created educational materials promoting oral hygiene and cardiovascular health and shared them throughout the facility. Through these initiatives and interactions, the intern team was able to form a strong bond with the residents and develop an overall stronger sense of community.

 

Reflections:

Nidhi Patel: “Working with the youth at Red Shield was a profound experience that showcased the youths’ remarkable ability to transform a negative situation into a positive one. Their bright smiles and cheerful personalities taught me the true meaning of resilience each and every day. Despite facing challenges such as homelessness and financial hardships, they would always remain cheerful and positive. During the summer, my co-intern and I fostered their creativity and encouraged meaningful interactions among them through engaging activities such as arts and crafts and fun field trips. Interacting with the children and their families, I witnessed a strong sense of community and a spirit of mutual support. Participating in Bridging the Gaps at Red Shield Family Residence has provided me with valuable insights into some of the challenges faced by the Philadelphia community. This experience has shaped my approach to medicine going forward, ensuring it prioritizes empathy and a commitment to community.”

 

Sally Shin: “My time working at Red Shield throughout the summer was an incredibly meaningful and humbling experience, especially as I began forming close relationships with the children living at the shelter. As I learned their stories, I was in awe of just how positive their outlook was, despite the challenges they faced that led them to Red Shield. Their infectious energy and enthusiasm for even the smallest of victories helped me gain a lot of perspective on what was important. With these priorities in mind, my co-intern and I aimed to promote activities that encouraged their creativity and collaboration, such as board games, crafts, and field trips. While the majority of our time was spent with the kids, I also had the opportunity to get to know some of the parents on a one-on-one basis, which gave me more of an insight into the sheer resilience of these families. From such conversations, I learned just how frustrating and vastly different their challenges were while navigating the convoluted systems of Philadelphia. This experience has helped me gain more of an intimate understanding of the social barriers faced by the patient population in this city, andcity and has reminded me to approach each personal interaction with empathy and an eagerness to learn about others. As I enter the healthcare field, I hope to apply everything about this incredible experience to become a physician that truly cares and advocates for my future patients.”