WORCESTER, Mass. - Tuesday, UMass Memorial Health and nonprofit SMOC, or South Middlesex Opportunity Council, highlighting the impact their collaboration has had on helping homeless people. The collaboration started earlier this year, which provides essential services for people experiencing homelessness but are also in need of some medical assistance.

SMOC says many people experiencing homelessness are in need of medical services but their housing situation leaves them without in-home services and this program helps fill the gap. The program has seven beds. Three beds for men, three for women, and one single bed. 

Leadership at SMOC says since opening in February, there has been a great need with local hospitals being busy and needing to refer people to additional services. As fall and winter weather approach, getting help for some of the more vulnerable populations is also part of their mission.

"Right now where they're getting colder and more people accessing shelter," said SMOC's chief of staff Tania Diduca. "This group of people that need that need that additional medical support, it's really important to have a place that they can go to. That's not the shelter and that's not the street."

"When I think about the complexity of the medical challenges that the patients we've treated here, how complex their medical issues are and how complex their logistical and mobility issues are, I really am in awe of the fact that they were able to manage any of that before they had a stable, safe environment to live in," said Dr. John Broach, who is a co-director of the program.

The program was made possible through a pilot program created by the state's Executive Office of Health and Human Services. MassHealth will take over funding the program after one year.

UMass Memorial Health says they've been able to help 18 patients over the last several months. Three have gone on to safe and stable housing of their own.