The Center for the Vulnerable Child (CVC) at Children’s Hospital and Research Center provides comprehensive care and a medical home for children who are homeless or at risk for homelessness, including children who live in biological or foster families and children who have been newly reunified with their parents. This is done by addressing health, psychological, and social problems that frequently accompany poverty. The service area is Alameda County.

Services

The Center for the Vulnerable Child is a department with clinical services, research, and policy divisions at a nonprofit children’s hospital. As a prevention and early intervention program that features coordination of services through case management, CVC provides both a medical home and a one-stop-shopping model of comprehensive, interdisciplinary services for high risk children and families. Services include comprehensive medical, mental health, developmental, family, and social service assessments, specialist and emergency health care, individual and family counseling, infant/parent psychotherapy, family support groups, therapeutic nursery services, and outreach services.

Linkages

CVC has linkages with Alameda County Social Services, Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services, Oakland Ready to Learn, City of Alameda Head Start, Oakland Unified School District Child Development Centers, the Berkeley-Albany YMCA (BAYMCA) Early Childhood Services, St. Martin De Porres, Kerry’s Kids, CAL­SAFE of Alameda County Office of Education, and Henry Robinson Multiservice Center.

Statistics

Estimated homeless population: 10,000

Patients served: 1,599