It's taken years for Amy to get where she is now. But she never gave up.
Amy lost her housing in Delaware County in 2017 and started living on the streets in Philadelphia. She was introduced to Prevention Point Philadelphia about four years ago through its syringe services program.
Soon, Amy began receiving medical care there, including HIV prevention care through the PrEP Clinic and medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD). The medical staff she met at PPP, she says, “really took the time” to diagnose and treat her.
Even though Amy was prioritizing her health, she didn’t see a way off the streets until a PPP staff member discovered there was an opening at Beacon House. The staff member seized the opportunity and got Amy a bed there on the same day.
On the first night at Beacon, she marveled that “I wasn’t outside in the heat or the cold… not only that, they fed us several times a day.” She also appreciated that nurse practitioners and other medical professionals offered clinic hours there.
Amy speaks especially fondly of her housing case manager, Ripley, whom she credits with helping her get to where she is now.
"Ripley was incredible,” Amy said. “I still see her all the time!”
Now she’s living independently in a Project HOME facility in a beautiful neighborhood. She has a view of the skyline from her meticulously kept apartment. Amy still uses PPP’s MOUD and PrEP clinics to maintain her health and recovery, and has a case manager at PAD CARES who is helping her find inpatient treatment. “She always texts to check up on me,” Amy remarked.
Amy is also in touch with her five children and thinking about taking classes. She wants to find a job, and eventually live together with her kids.
“I’ve definitely moved forward since I started going (to PPP), that’s for sure,” Amy says. “Without them, I don’t even know where I’d be right now. I really don’t.”
Amy says that Ripley played a huge role in her progress. “I was probably the biggest pain in the behind,” she laughs. “I’m so grateful to her.”
She’s grateful to other staffers, too, and stops by to say hello and get a hug from the PrEP team even when she doesn’t have an appointment.
“Everybody there is so great. Nobody judges you,” Amy says. “They just try to push you to do better and help you with whatever they can.”