The Florida Heartland Rural Consortia for the Homeless is an organization of social

agencies, housing and health care providers, representatives of local governments

and faith-based organizations and other interested parties collaborating with each

other to address the needs of the homeless populations in Highlands, Hardee, DeSoto,

Hendry, Glades and Okeechobee counties.
The Heartland Rural Health Network is a member of the Highlands County Coalition

 for the Homeless, an organization that has been in existence for about eight years

and which is serving as the lead agency in developing this new Consortia for the Homeless

for this six (6) rural county region. Unlike most other Homeless Consortia this one is

made up entirely of rural counties.

The Heartland Rural Health Network has the role of identifying the health care needs

of this underserved population and facilitating the efforts that will be needed to

 assure that homeless individuals and families will have access to needed health

care services. This Network's mission will be to meet these health care services needs

for the homeless in Highlands, Hardee and DeSoto Counties. The health care services

needs in the other three counties will be addressed through a relationship with the Lake

Okeechobee Rural Health Network that has jurisdiction over Hendry, Glades and

Okeechobee counties.

Health Profile of the Homeless Population

· A high percentage of the homeless are mentally ill

· Many have substance abuse problems

· Many are Veterans with addiction issues

· A significant number are families with children needing medical and dental care

· Many are single mothers with children

The Role of the Heartland Rural Health Network

The Heartland Rural Health Network will be an active participant in the Consortia for the Homeless and will coordinate the development of a network of health care providers to provide the following services to the homeless in these rural counties: