These GP-led mobile clinics are providing homeless people with healthcare, dignity and respect

For many Australians without a safe place to call home, judgement-free healthcare feels out of reach. But thanks to Street Side Medics, 5000 homeless people in need a year gain access to medical care, provided with dignity and respect.

Street Side Medics doesn’t just change lives – it saves the lives of sick, homeless and vulnerable people who may otherwise not be able to access judgement-free, dignified medical care.

Sarah*, who is currently homeless, has been a patient of Street Side Medics for three years. She believes that if it wasn’t for Street Side Medics, she would be dead.

“Had I continued without having multiple heart bypass surgeries, I would have died,” says Sarah. “Today I am alive because somebody from Street Side Medics decided that my life was worth saving. That is a blessing. My life is mine. You can’t steal, you can’t beg it, you can’t borrow it. They saved it – that’s what they did.”

Street Side Medics is a five-year-old non-profit organisation, financially supported a number of philanthropists giving via trusts managed by Equity Trustees.

The grassroots service, operating in 11 key locations across Sydney and Melbourne, is powered by a special fleet of medical vans-turned GP-led mobile clinics. With a 300-strong volunteer workforce of  GPs, specialist doctors, nurses, allied health workers and general assistants, Street Side Medics provides many of our nation’s most vulnerable with free healthcare, dignity and respect.

Overcoming barriers to health care

Although homeless people are eligible to receive free healthcare under Australia's Medicare system, accessing medical care is a complex ask.

CEO of Street Side Medics, Nic Brown, explains that to get a Medicare card, you first need to nominate a fixed address. “Then there are financial barriers,” says Nic. “It’s hard to find bulk billing GPs these days and people need to be able to afford the travel costs to get there.

“The other human part to the problem is that health care drops down the list of priorities if you don’t have shelter or food to eat,” says Nic.

“This is why we go to them, to where high concentrations of people experiencing homelessness are – they don’t need to come to us.” The vans turn up at the same time and place on a regular basis and work with other trusted homeless services, providing them with food, housing, employment assistance and more.

Patients don’t need a Medicare card to access Street Side Medics’ services. There is also no cost to the patient and no judgement.

“Street Side Medics knew it gets hard when someone like me enters a medical clinic with ‘normal people’,” Sarah says. "They really do care – it’s been hard for me to accept that. But they do.

“They are professionals who have loving empathy, loving mercy and loving compassion. You know what? Here, I’m in great company.”

Currently, the organisation reaches about 100 people experiencing homelessness in need of health care every week. But, with the cost of living and housing affordability crisis, demand for its services is increasing. Around 122,500 people across Australia were reported as experiencing homelessness in the 2021 Australian Census. It’s expected that this figure has increased dramatically since figures were collated.

“We want Street Side Medics to be in every suburb and town across Australia where our services are needed. But there is still a long way to go.”

Nic calls on philanthropists to support the organisation and make a tangible difference in the life of a vulnerable Australian. “We can only exist when people give generously. Philanthropic donations are just so important to us.

“As we set our sights on nationwide expansion funding support will help us bring vital healthcare to every corner of the country. By donating to us, you can make a visible difference to someone’s life. That’s a pretty powerful thing.”

Street Side Medics is supported by a number of trusts managed by Equity Trustees.

To find out more, visit https://www.streetsidemedics.com.au/what-we-do

*Name changed to protect privacy

“They are professionals who have loving empathy, loving mercy and loving compassion.”