Long-term engagement has been key for the Venice Family Clinic’s Street Medicine Team.

For the last eight years, the clinic has worked with the unhoused population in Malibu to ensure they have access to medical care. Clinic staff say they anticipate an uptick in the area’s unhoused population following the L.A. wildfires. While Venice Family Clinic was not affected by the fires, the area is in close proximity to Malibu and Pacific Palisades, which lost vast amounts of residential housing and infrastructure during recent fires.

The clinic uses mobile units to provide critical care to vulnerable populations who would otherwise lack access to consistent medical services. Clinic staff said people may be displaced or unhoused for months to several years following the natural disaster.

“We want to be a part of a directional plan where we’re supporting and enabling someone to be housing-ready,” said Dr. Coley King, Director of Homeless Health Services for Venice Family Clinic. Direct Relief staff delivered medical aid to King last week, who was conducting medical outreach in Malibu.

The clinic’s street team meets patients where they are—beyond the four walls of the brick-and-mortar clinic. The medical professionals say they want to remove the barriers that prevent people from getting care. According to the clinic’s website, staff take on a harm reduction approach through assertive engagement, trauma-informed care, and linkage to housing. This work has produced an uptrend in patient health, happiness, and housing stability, Coley said.

Direct Relief is supporting Venice Family Clinic by providing emergency funding, medications, and critical medical supplies to ensure uninterrupted patient care. In an effort to support those most affected by the wildfires, Direct Relief has awarded $2.6 million in emergency operating grants to 43 organizations, including community health centers, free and charitable clinics, reproductive health organizations, first responders, search and rescue teams, and community-based non-profits.