Christ House Achieves Prestigious National Certification for Medical Respite Care

We are proud to announce that Christ House has earned certification from the National Institute for Medical Respite Care (NIMRC), a program of the National Health Care for the Homeless Council (NHCHC), recognizing our commitment to providing healing, safe, and dignified care to men experiencing homelessness who are recuperating from acute medical conditions.

NIMRC’s voluntary certification process — developed in collaboration with nationally recognized experts and grounded in rigorous standards and guiding principles — offers meaningful assurance that a medical respite program meets high‑quality benchmarks in housing, healing, health, and support services.

The NIMRC certification process asks programs to demonstrate alignment with established guiding principles and core standards of medical respite care, including meaningful client engagement, quality improvement, and comprehensive, client‑centered services. Certified programs are awarded for a three‑year period and participate in ongoing peer learning and improvement.

For Christ House, this certification underscores our mission: to walk alongside men who have experienced homelessness, offering healing and hope. By achieving this certification, we affirm that every aspect of our program – from residential care to supportive services to housing pathways – aligns with proven best practices in serving this vulnerable population.

What this means for the men we serve and the community:

• A certified program like Christ House demonstrates consistent fidelity to standards of care that prioritize safety, respect, and healing.

• It strengthens our credibility with funders, healthcare partners, and referral sources, enabling deeper collaborations and sustainable support.

• It affirms our belief that every person deserves a place to rest, recover, and rebuild — not just medical treatment, but compassionate wrap‑around care anchored in relationships.

• It positions Christ House among a growing national network of certified medical respite programs dedicated to reducing hospitalizations, improving health outcomes, and supporting stable transitions into housing.

“Christ House has led the way in medical respite care for the last 40 years, and I am so proud that we are now officially NIMRC certified,” said Dr. Lisa Purdy, CEO/Executive Director of Christ House. “This milestone recognizes the gold-standard care our team has been providing for decades: compassionate, high-quality, and grounded in dignity. Grateful for our staff, partners, and supporters who make this work possible every day. Here’s to continuing our legacy of healing and hope for the men we serve.”