Shelter Health Services

What Shelter Health Services does

Shelter Health Services is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a free walk-in clinic physically embedded within the Salvation Army Center of Hope shelter in Charlotte, North Carolina. Founded in 2005, the organization serves uninsured, medically indigent homeless women and children who lack money, Medicaid, and mobility — accessing care simply by showing a shelter ID, with no appointments required. The clinic delivers a "360 Degree Healthcare" model that integrates medical, mental health, substance use, dental, vision, and specialty services (mammograms, low-dose CT scans, HIV counseling, PrEP) via a co-located partner network inside the shelter, supported by point-of-care Comprehensive Metabolic and Lipid Panel testing and an Electronic Medical Records system.

The clinic operates Monday through Friday from 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM, staffed by a Medical Assistant, Registered Nurse, and Family Nurse Practitioner team plus third-year Atrium Health Family Medicine residents. An Extended Care Program extends free services to former shelter residents, and a COVID-19 screening/testing program was added during the pandemic. Annual scale is approximately 1,000+ unique clients and 5,000+ visits, with children representing 34% of clients.

The organization's revenue model is donation- and grant-driven: it explicitly does not receive Medicaid, Medicare, federal, United Way, or Salvation Army funds, and provides all services free of charge. Go-to-market is community-led — embedded physical distribution within one shelter partner, supplemented by grassroots fundraising through faith groups, employer charitable-giving programs, BBB-certified trust signals, and a single Facebook page. Governance rests with a professional board chaired by Fr. Paul Tashakis, MD, with Iris Smalls Hubbard as Executive Director and E. Parker Hays, Jr., MD as Medical Director.

Name

Shelter Health Services

Legal name

Shelter Health Services

Website

https://shsclinic.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Shelter Health Services is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a free walk-in clinic inside the Salvation Army Center of Hope shelter in Charlotte, NC, providing integrated medical, mental health, and specialty care to uninsured homeless women and children.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Health Clinic Services

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Other Community Housing Services (624229), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050)

akta.pro primary industry

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services (BPAIANAC)

Keywords

• Free health clinic
• Homeless healthcare services
• Community medical care
• Integrated primary care
• Charitable clinic services

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grants: Primary funding source. Grants supplement donations to fund all free services.
2. Donations: Donations from community, professional, and faith groups, companies, and individuals supplement grant funding.
3. No Medicaid/Medicare/Federal Funding: The organization does not receive Medicaid, Medicare, federal government, United Way, or Salvation Army funds. All services are provided free of charge.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Shelter Health Services runs a free walk-in clinic physically embedded inside the Salvation Army Center of Hope shelter in Charlotte, NC, delivering no-cost medical, mental health, substance use, dental, vision, mammography, prescription, and transportation services to homeless women and children. The clinic operates as a 360-degree integrated care model in which a Medical Assistant, RN, and Family Nurse Practitioner coordinate co-located partner services to address medical, behavioral, and specialty needs within the typical 3–6 month shelter stay, with an Extended Care Program continuing services after clients leave the shelter.

Product overview

Shelter Health Services operates as a free health clinic providing a unified offering called '360 Degree Healthcare' — a holistic approach delivering free medical services to homeless women and children at the Salvation Army Center of Hope shelter. The core product includes walk-in clinic services (health assessments, exams, screenings for conditions including hypertension, diabetes, asthma, anemia, cholesterol, TB, HIV, STDs), prescription medications, OTC medications, transportation assistance, and health education. Additional programs include COVID-19 response services and an Extended Care Program for post-shelter continuity of care. All services are provided free of charge to shelter residents.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 360 Degree Healthcare Holistic integrated care program providing free medical services including health assessments, exams, screenings, prescriptions, OTC medications, immunizations, chronic disease management, health information, and transportation assistance to homeless women and children at the Salvation Army Center of Hope shelter.
• Free Walk-In Clinic Services Walk-in clinic embedded within the Salvation Army Center of Hope shelter, providing medical care including hypertension, diabetes, asthma, anemia, cholesterol, sickle cell trait, TB, HIV, and STD screenings, plus chronic disease management, without appointments and free of charge to shelter residents.
• Extended Care Program Program that allows both adult and child clients to access the clinic's free services even after they have left the Salvation Army Center of Hope shelter, providing continuity of care beyond the shelter stay.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,000+ unique clients and 5,000+ clinic visits annually
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Salvation Army Center of HopecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides access to the shelter's underserved population and rent-free space for the clinic. Residents access the clinic simply by showing their shelter ID. The shelter is the largest concentration of homeless women and children in the southeast (other than Miami).
• Mecklenburg County SACOTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubstance abuse treatment provider located within the Center of Hope, providing counseling services integrated with the clinic's medical care.
• Family FirstcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides mental health assessment and counseling services within the Center of Hope, integrated into the clinic's holistic 360-degree healthcare approach.
• AnuviacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides mental health medication management services for clinic clients, integrated with the clinic's medical care model. 37% of clinic clients have mental health and/or substance use needs.
• Novant Cancer CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrings mobile imaging van to the clinic for free mammograms and breast health discussion groups. Also provides free low-dose CT scans for early detection of lung cancer at their imaging facility. Transportation expense is shared between Shelter Health Services and Novant Cancer Center.
• Ada Jenkins Center Dental VanmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrings quality dental care to the clinic via a mobile dental van, providing services on-site at the shelter.
• MedAssistmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides expensive prescription medications (e.g., insulin) for clinic clients at no or reduced cost, supplementing the clinic's prescription coverage.
• Lions Club Eye ClinicmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferral partner providing eye exams, prescriptions, lenses, and frames for clinic clients.
• RAINmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides counseling and support services for HIV+ clients, integrated into the clinic's care model.
• GileadminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) medications for HIV prevention to clinic clients.
• Atrium HealthmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerShelter Health Services is the selected clinical site for Atrium Health Family Medicine's Community Medicine Program. 3rd year Family Medicine residents provide care at the clinic in exchange for hands-on clinical experience in caring for a highly underserved population.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program: One of the most established homeless health programs in the U.S., providing free medical, behavioral, and dental care across multiple sites including embedded shelter clinics. Directly comparable to Shelter Health Services in mission, embedded shelter delivery, and integration of medical and behavioral health.
• Camillus Health Concern: Miami-based nonprofit providing free primary medical, dental, and behavioral health care to the homeless and underserved in Miami-Dade County. Directly comparable mission and free-clinic delivery model for an uninsured, homeless population.
• Colorado Coalition for the Homeless: Denver-based nonprofit combining housing, healthcare (including Stout Street Health Center), and supportive services for people experiencing homelessness. Comparable embedded-clinic-plus-shelter model with integrated medical, mental health, and substance use services for the same target population.
• Circle the City: Phoenix-based nonprofit operating medical respite and primary care clinics for people experiencing homelessness. Highly comparable in delivering free integrated medical and behavioral health care to the homeless population, including embedded/residential models.
• Bread for the City: Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit providing free medical care, food, and social services to low-income and homeless residents. Comparable mission of integrating healthcare with broader social services for an uninsured, indigent population.
• Healthcare for the Homeless Houston: Houston-based nonprofit providing free, comprehensive medical, dental, mental health, and substance use services to homeless individuals. Highly comparable to Shelter Health Services as a free clinic model serving the homeless with integrated care, despite operating at a larger scale.
• Healthcare for the Homeless Maryland: Maryland-based nonprofit providing free medical, dental, and behavioral health care to people experiencing homelessness, including clinic sites co-located within shelters. Directly comparable in target population, free integrated care delivery, and shelter partnerships.
• Mercy Care: Atlanta-based FQHC look-alike providing primary medical, dental, and behavioral health care with explicit focus on homeless and low-income populations, including a clinic co-located within a shelter. Comparable embedded-shelter clinic model and integrated care for the same target population.
• LA Christian Health Centers: Los Angeles-based faith-affiliated nonprofit providing free and low-cost medical, dental, and mental health services to homeless and underserved populations, including shelter-based services. Comparable faith-rooted free clinic model serving homeless clients.

Others

• National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics: Industry/advocacy association of which Shelter Health Services is a member, providing national representation and resources for free and charitable clinics. Useful comparator for benchmarking operations and funding models rather than as a service delivery competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• Xx.com/shsclinicclt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shelter-health-services-incorporated

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shelter Health Services