Thank you for your very thoughtful question.  It would be great to get him a guitar and I am sure he will deeply appreciate it.  There is one more thing I ask you to consider and that is asking him what does he ultimately want and what will it take to make that happen?  When you think about it, the guitar may not make it on the street due to the weather and to the challenges that come with life on the street.  This is not only true for the guitar but for the person as well.  I hope you can talk with him about other possibilities.  There are thousands of people who now work, vote and participate in the civic life of our neighborhoods and city.  We can not accept homelessness as inevitable.  There are choices he can make.  If he or you want to talk further about what those choices might be, call Ed Speedling at Project HOME at 215-232-7272.  You made a human connection with this man and that is very worthwhile.  Thank you for your very human response to him and others who have no home.

The one thing I can think of is to call the police in El Centro CA .  They probably have the most contact with people living on the street.  It is a relatively small community so this would increase your chances of contacting her if she is still living on the streets there.  In addition I found two emergency shelters.  They are:

• Womanhaven (d.. b.a. Center for Family Solutions)
  
  725 Main Street
  El Centro, CA 92243
  
  (760) 353-6922
• House of Hope
  1948 Orange
  El Centro, CA 92243
  (760) 352-1182

Lastly you may want to look up the National Alliance to End Homelessness in Washington DC .  They are connected with many localities throughout the .  Their web page is www.naeh.org.  Hope this helps and hope you find her and are able to encourage her to get some help. 

People who live on the street have disproportionately higher medical issues and die earlier than people with homes.  Therefore medical care is very important.  The largest provider of medical care to people without homes is Philadelphia Health Care Management Corp (PHMC).  PHMC provides a federally funded program called Health Care for the Homeless.  They go out to shelters and at times go on the street to work with people who are medically needy.  PHMC also runs the Mary Howard Medical Clinic for people without homes.   They do amazing work and have conducted research on homelessness.  Please visit their web page for more information www.phmc.org.  In addition the Jefferson University medical students also go out on a regular basis with outreach workers and provide basic medical care and access into medical care.  The students become more sensitized to the needs of people who are living on the street and build relationships with them to better assist them in getting needed care.

The goal of outreach is to get people into homes.  The biggest barrier to achieving this goal is the lack of affordable housing, permanent supportive housing and housing first units.  Therefore the single most important thing to improving outreach is to have appropriate housing options for people on the street.  Homelessness is a public health crises. 

There are various working groups organized by the Office of Supportive Housing to coordinate services.  Hope this helps.

It is heartening to see that you are doing research on how services are provided to people without homes.  Specifically medical services are primarily provided by Philadelphia Health Management Corporation.  Their nurses work in the shelters and on the streets through Health Care for the Homeless.  They have published research on their web page, visit www.phmc.org.  PHMC has a medical clinic geared to people who are homeless.  It is called the Mary Howard Health Clinic and it is an amazing place serving hundreds of people with complicated and chronic health problems.  Homelessness itself is a serious public health crises.  In addition to PHMC, the Jefferson Medical Students go out on the street with Project HOME outreach workers a few times each week.  The coordination of services is done through the City's Office of Supportive Housing (OSH). 

Living on the street compromises your physical health and research has shown that having a home dramatically reduces the use of Emergency Rooms and other medical crises.  There is a critical shortage of affordable housing and many more people are living on our streets.  Today we see an increasing number of people living on the street with serious and persistent medical problems.  People who are chronically homeless die much earlier than the rest of the population.

You have face some very difficult situations and there are no easy answers.  Below are programs that give financial help to people with utilities and other housing related expenses.  You may also want to consider joining an Al-Anon group to assist you with the on-going issues related to your spouse's addiction.  You need support in dealing with the many complicated and confusing decisions especially when someone that you love is addicted.  You are the only one that can take responsibility for keeping yourself housed and healthy. 

Energy Coordinating Agency of Philadelphia (ECA)

1924 Arch St.
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Tel #: 215-988-0929
Centers provide a range of energy-bill payment assistance, education, and conservation services. 

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) - helps homeowners or renters who are unable to pay their utility bills.
Tel #: 215-560-2970

Emergency Fuel Assistance Program (Crisis) - helps provide homeowners or tenants with heating including oil deliveries. Client must be without oil or heating service has been cut off.
Tel #: 215-686-2590

Utility Emergency Services Fund (UESF) - provides up to $500 to help pay heat-related bills. Client must have a shut-off notice, service is off or shut-off status can be verified. Applicant must have applied for and exhausted all governmental energy assistance programs available (LIHEAP and CRISIS). Must meet income guidelines.
Tel #: 215-829-0545

Tenant Union Representative Network - WWW.RTURN.NET - 1315 Walnut Street, 215-940-3900

Erin O'Brien and I would love to meet with you and see what would be a good fit for you to get involved in this work.   We truly believe that everyone has a role to play in ending homelessness.