Medical respite offers refuge for homeless people recovering from illness

Henry Jones felt like he was at the end of the line in the summer of 1991.

"There was no way out," he remembered thinking. "I prayed and was tired, but I couldn't see no way out."

Jones had been homeless in Washington, DC for 11 years, and the years had taken their toll. "I started to get sicker and sicker," he said. "I could feel my health failing."

One hot morning in June, Jones was in particularly rough shape — his legs ached, his stomach hurt, and his arms were trembling. A security guard had to give him a ride from the hospital parking lot to the ER because he could barely stand.

The hospital wouldn't admit him, but a social worker referred him to a place called , a facility for homeless men who were too sick to be on the streets or in a shelter,