CRISIS & STREET MEDICINE MENSTRUAL INITIATIVE
Hygiene is Not a Privilege Reserved for Those With a Permanent Address.
THE CRISIS ON OUR STREETS
Displacement Should Never Strip Away Human Dignity
For women and gender-expansive individuals experiencing homelessness, menstruation is an emergency experienced in public. Public restrooms close, shelters ration supplies, and access to clean water is precarious. We distribute heavy-duty, discrete, weather-resistant care packs engineered specifically for displacement.
Emergency Intake & Shelter Dispensaries
Are you a case manager, outreach worker, shelter coordinator, or mobile clinic provider? Request bulk crates of weather-resistant Sanctuary Packs for direct distribution on street routes and in transitional facilities.
Caridad also provides up to 1,000 hot, nutritious meals to needy New Yorkers throughout Manhattan and the Bronx every night of the year. The Grand Central Food Program begins each night by providing meals at St. Bartholomew’s Church on 32st Street between Park and Lexington Avenues. From there, three mobile vans leave to provide meals at the stops and approximate times listed below.
If you need information on where to get assistance with food services please call (212) 444-8282
Homeless individuals and families have a right to shelter in the City of New York. If you are currently homeless, you can seek assistance at the intake shelters listed below which are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
If you have a question about accessing shelter or other services please call (212) 444-8282
We provide services three days a week.
Our shower and clothing program at our campus (327 Homdoz Place) is now offered indoors on a limited basis. The program takes place on Tuesdays (for men and women), Wednesdays (men) and Fridays (men). Sign up takes place at 6:45 a.m. on the day of the program. Each person receives hygiene items and a full set of clean clothing.
If you have more questions please call (212) 444-8282
We provide medical care. Medical care is available on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. All medical care is provided free of charge, regardless of insurance status.
If you have more questions please call (212) 444-8282
ENGINEERED FOR DISPLACEMENT
Dignity-First Care Architecture
Standard hygiene kits fail unhoused menstruators because they assume stable access to clean running water, private disposal, and sterile storage. Our Sanctuary Packs are designed from the ground up for street conditions: discrete ripstop water-resistant pouches, waterless antimicrobial cleansing, and opaque biodegradable disposal seals.
Street Medicine Field Distribution
Over 3,800 emergency packs deployed across mutual aid outreach routes, drop-in centers, and transitional shelters. 100% shame-free, zero means-testing.
40 Organic Moisture-Sealed Pads
Individually wrapped in heavy-duty moisture barrier seals to stay sterile and dry in all weather.
Waterless Hygiene Cleansing
Hypoallergenic, alcohol-free personal cleansing wipes for dignity when running water is unavailable.
Discrete & Harassment-Safe
Packaged in durable black canvas ripstop pouches that prevent street visibility and harassment.
DIRECT ACCESS PATHWAYS
How We Deploy Crisis Menstrual Care
get involved
Our mission is powered by collective community action
Street Medicine & Mobile Health Vans
We partner directly with street nurses, needle exchange vans, and overnight warming shelters to ensure period supplies are in the right hands at the right moment.
VOICES FROM THE FIELD
Restoring Dignity Through Unconditional Care
When an outreach worker hands someone a clean, high-grade care pack rather than rationing two loose tampons from a plastic bag, it communicates an unspoken message: your body is worthy of respect.
“Having access to a discrete, waterproof pouch meant I didn’t have to carry my supplies out in the open or improvise with rough napkins. It gave me my dignity back on the hardest days.”
— Drop-In Center Recipient, Downtown Seattle
COMMUNITY COALITION
Partnering With Frontline Shelters & Mutual Aid
We work hand-in-hand with municipal shelters, day centers, and independent mutual aid networks to bridge supply gaps and protect the health of our most vulnerable neighbors.
