Bridging the Gaps, Summer 2017
Bethlehem Haven

Through the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public Health Bridging the Gaps program, I completed a summer interdisciplinary academic and work-experience internship. Together, partnered with a student from the School of Pharmacy, we were placed at Bethlehem Haven, a homeless shelter for women located in the Uptown neighborhood of Pittsburgh. In addition to our work at our field site, we also attended weekly day-long seminars, tackling various issues of health inequities, using our various backgrounds to problem solve.

Project

We were tasked with working with the organization with whom we were partnered to develop a project that fit their needs. Bethlehem Haven was in the process of moving from transitional housing model to a rapid rehousing model. Because of this, they asked us to develop a way to organize resources in the county for housing advocates to access. After brainstorming with the staff, my partner and I developed a three-fold project: a comprehensive resource guide organized by category of service and by region; a complementary interactive map for advocates to access via cell phone or tablet; and a welcome guide of helpful tips for women who have been recently housed.

We were chosen to present our project at the Bridging the Gaps 20th Anniversary Symposium on July 28, 2017 at the Graduate School of Public Health.