Cathedral Health & Outreach Ministries (CHOM) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization providing social and health services to poor and homeless men, women, children, and youth living in the Houston area. The mission of CHOM is to respect the human dignity of the poor and improve their lives. During 2007, CHOM served a total of 10,929 individuals. During 2008, CHOM will serve approximately 11,600 individuals.
CHOM serves the poor and the homeless through five distinct programs:
A day center providing hot meals, clothing, private shower and lavatory facilities, laundry services, and case management to people living on the streets of Houston.
This program provides transitional housing and supportive services to homeless women who have left the Texas prison or jail system. The goal of Brigid's Hope is to reduce the number of women returning to the criminal justice system by giving women the tools needed to become self-sufficient and to secure a safe and productive life.
This clinic combines primary health care and psychiatric treatment/mental health counseling with intensive case management to address the unique needs of men, women and children living on Houston’s streets.
Students from Rice University came to volunteer at The Beacon, preparing and serving food, washing dishes, and doing laundry on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Tracy L. Burnett, LCSW, CHOM's Executive Director, was interviewed for KPRC Local 2’s investigation on what some are calling "patient dumping." Houston hospitals are being accused of dropping off patients at shelters--including CHOM’s day shelter, The Beacon--when those patients are not well enough to make it on their own and are too unhealthy to care for themselves.
