A local nonprofit medical clinic offering care to the homeless has finally found a more permanent home.
Volunteer-run Helping Hands Clinic has been providing medical attention to low-income and homeless patients out of rented space for the past 24 years. Most recently, it has been operating at First United Methodist Church.
But in those facilities, the clinic’s struggle was having space to set up long-term.
Clinic manager Brendan Shortley said the constant rearranging and limited available space prompted the move. He said every time the clinic opened, volunteers had to set everything up only to take it down the next day and continue the pattern twice a week.
Now that the clinic has relocated to Selle Hall, which still belongs to the same church but is located on a separate property, they can settle in more permanently.
“Space has always been our challenge,” said clinic director Randy Stacey. “Now we can arrange things and leave them arranged.”
While the clinic was looking to relocate, several local foundations promised to cover two years of overhead rent.
The clinic received $30,000 in pledges and raised an additional $42,000. This allowed the clinic $72,000 to cover expenses for the next four years in the new location, Stacey said.
Kristen Sanford, a 21-year-old UF food science and human nutrition senior, agreed that moving the clinic to a more permanent location is a step in the positive direction.
“I’m sure the patients will feel more comfortable with the new location,” she said.
The clinic, located at 509 NE First St., is open Monday from 4:30 to 7 p.m. and on Thursday for women’s health night from 3 to 7 p.m.
A version of this story ran on page 8 on 8/23/2013 under the headline "Helping Hands Clinic relocates to permanent location"
