May 01 2025
May is Hepatitis Awareness Month, and we’re hitting the streets with something special.
On Monday, May 19, Positive Resource Connection is hosting Feet to the Street, a community-focused day of expanded Street Outreach that brings free testing and essential resources directly to the people who need them most. Find our team downtown, somewhere between Inasmuch Ministry and Promenade Park throughout the day. Look for the red backpacks!
We’ll be offering:
No health insurance or appointment required. Just people helping people. Feet to the Street is a powerful example of how compassionate, community-based care can change lives.
While May 19 is a special addition, this kind of outreach isn’t new for us. Every Wednesday, PRC’s outreach team heads to downtown Fort Wayne to build trust, offer care, and meet basic needs, no strings attached! Working in pairs, hauling wagons of supplies and red backpacks, our team is out there every week, in all seasons, rain or shine.
Street Outreach is:
Based on the donations we’ve received, Street Outreach may offer:
Street Outreach team members Jana Clark and DeAshlon Clayton (with former PRC team member Ricky)
“When I first started [in 2007 at PRC], we didn’t even do HIV testing in the building,” says Vanessa Amburgy, Special Populations Support & Harm Reduction Coordinator. Over time, PRC expanded our efforts with an Outreach department. While attending community events helped raise awareness about the agency, we still weren’t reaching the people we most hoped to serve: those facing housing instability.
Vanessa recognized transportation as a major barrier to care. It quickly became clear that we needed to bring our services directly to the community.
She began by walking the streets solo with just an oral swab test kit and a few basic supplies in her pack. “Creating relationships with people is incredibly important.” Even when someone didn’t want to test, they were always welcome to take socks, snacks, or simply have a friendly conversation. No pressure, no judgment.
What started as a solo effort has since grown into a coordinated, multi-staff operation powered by wagons, red backpacks, and trust. Today, Street Outreach is led by a dedicated four-person team:
Working in pairs every Wednesday, the team has transformed Street Outreach from a handout into a bridge to real care and long-term health. The red backpacks have become a recognizable symbol, and many community members are now familiar faces. As Hepatitis C Care Coordinator DeAshlon Clayton puts it, “They trust us.”
Consistency is key. That’s why the team follows a dependable schedule. Every Wednesday, you’ll find them at Trinity English Lutheran Church from 11 a.m.–12 p.m. and at Freimann Square from 6–7 p.m.
“We set up wherever we can, sometimes on the ground, sometimes with a table,” says DeAshlon. “We start a conversation, offer snacks and socks, and then ease into talking about testing. It’s all about making people feel comfortable.”
Street Outreach also helped inspire another of Vanessa’s efforts: Handing Out Hope. Held every third Wednesday from 11 a.m.–1 p.m. at the downtown public library, this growing event brings together around 20 organizations—including PRC, Allen County Health Department, and HART—to offer testing and other free resources. One of its early meetings even took place in the PRC conference room.
Whether it’s Freimann Square, Trinity, the downtown library, or covering new ground on May 19, the goal remains the same: to provide resources, offer testing, and build relationships rooted in trust, dignity, and compassion.
Vanessa Ambury, Special Populations Support & Harm Reduction Coordinator
Street Outreach is now a vital pipeline into care, especially for people living with Hepatitis C.
Thanks to the team’s consistent presence and the trust they’ve built, most clients enrolled in PRC’s Hepatitis C program were first connected through Street Outreach. Many didn’t know they were at risk. Others didn’t realize treatment was even possible.
Risk factors for Hepatitis C and HIV include injection drug use, sex work, amateur tattoos, and even common injuries involving blood-to-blood contact. But as Vanessa explains, “Just because someone is unhoused doesn’t mean they engage in riskier activities.” The real difference? Access to care. “What we’re offering is simply public health.”
After a conversation to assess potential risk, testing is offered for HIV, Hepatitis C, and syphilis using a quick finger prick or oral swab. Testing is always done in a private, comfortable space away from others to ensure confidentiality. The entire process usually takes less than 15 minutes, with results delivered on the spot.
No matter the results, all clients receive care, education and free prevention resources, including condoms, first aid, and safer use kits. Whether they’re able to visit the office or need us to keep meeting them in the community, we’re with them every step of the way. Some people even receive regular testing through Street Outreach.
That commitment is making a difference: 45% (33 of 74) of our Hepatitis C case management clients have achieved a viral cure, well above the national average, where fewer than one-third of people living with Hepatitis C are considered cured. Learn more about Hepatitis C and our approach here.
Street Outreach is not grant funded. It relies entirely on donations to continue. As the weather warms up, we see more people in need, including women and children. Each year, we distribute thousands of items, with the most requested supplies including:
You can also help by spreading the word: our doors are open to all. Free HIV and Hepatitis C testing, safer sex supplies, and support services are available during regular business hours, no appointment necessary.
Street Outreach is public health in action. It’s about making sure everyone, regardless of housing, insurance, or circumstances, has access to care, resources, and respect. As Vanessa says:
“People have a hard time being the best version of themselves when they don’t know where their next meal is coming from. We focus on basic needs first, and help them reach their potential from there.”
With your support, we’ll keep showing up, week after week, and step by step, bringing help, hope, and healing to the streets of our community.
Apr 22 2025
This "resource roundup" was created by our own non-medical case manager, Lauren Walters. Whether you're a pantry client or just looking for realistic, affordable ways to eat well, Lauren highlights a variety of creators who share smart, balanced meal ideas on a tight budget.