Denis Nugent was first referred to CMC’s Health Care for the Homeless (HCH) several years ago by the CEO of the now-closed Serenity Place. “I didn’t trust many other medical institutions because of prior bad experiences,” says Nugent, “but the staff at Health Care for the Homeless are very kind and understanding. I was able to build a trusting relationship with them pretty quickly and they made me feel like I was an actual person who mattered rather than a number that needed to be checked off.” CMC’s Health Care for the Homeless is a program of the City of Manchester that offers primary care, behavioral health, and social work services with dignity and compassion to those experiencing homeless or at risk of being homeless. At the time he first encountered HCH, Nugent was in and out of homelessness. “I had my primary care physician through (HCH). I had gotten sick with a lot of infections and they helped me. I was going through a lot mentally because of some personal tragedies in my life and they helped with keeping my mind healthy as well as my body.” Today, Nugent says he’s doing great. He works as a rehab house manager for NFA Behavioral Health. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Health Care for the Homeless as a consumer board member and is able to provide an important perspective. “There’s a lot of things people take for granted unless they’ve been homeless—simple things like running water, heat, and especially medical care…knowing me and the other clients, it humanizes us and it’s a window into our lives that they wouldn’t have otherwise. It helps me feel like I’m giving back to them because they’ve helped me so much over the years.”