There are other ways to do outreach. While street outreach generally refers to outreach aimed at those experiencing unsheltered homelessness, one could also do outreach aimed at connecting with people who are doubled-up or precariously housed but not literally on the street.
Some street outreach has a medical component, and is sometimes called street medicine or medical outreach. This type of outreach involves providing healthcare to people experiencing homelessness outside of a traditional medical clinic, perhaps through use of mobile medical vans or practicing medicine outdoors wherever people are living.
Sometimes, people talk about “inreach.” In the context of homelessness, inreach refers to attempts to connect with people who are preparing to leave an institution (like prison, inpatient treatment, or foster care) and do not have housing to go to once they exit. In this way, inreach is an attempt to prevent homelessness from an institutional perspective.
At this time, it is hard to find resources around housing-focused inreach. It seems like the conversation is still developing.
The common thread across all these types of outreach is that the service goes to the people, the people don’t have to go to the service.
