Project for Psychiatric Outreach to the Homeless

Project for Psychiatric Outreach to the Homeless (PPOH) was a landmark non-profit healthcare organization dedicated to providing psychiatric care to homeless individuals suffering from severe mental illness. Founded in 1985 in New York City, the organization pioneered the 'street psychiatry' movement, bringing clinical services directly to shelters and public spaces to reach those disconnected from traditional healthcare systems. PPOH focused on diagnostic assessment, crisis intervention, and the administration of psychotropic medications to stabilize vulnerable populations. The project also played a critical role in medical education, training psychiatric residents in community-based care and social advocacy. Although the formal entity was dissolved in 2005, its innovative outreach models continue to inform modern assertive community treatment and street medicine programs.