The Coronavirus: A Nightmare for The Homeless

Although times right now for most of us inside are tough, many concerns are raised for the homeless community and the effort to stop the virus from spreading like wildfire.

“It's a calamity, it's our worst nightmare. It's an enormous crisis superimposed on an existing crisis,” says Margot Kushel, a professor of medicine at UC San Francisco who studies homlessness. 

Many homeless people are unable to social distance and stay six feet apart. Even before the outbreak many shelters were prone to a greater risk of diseases such as, tuberculosis, hepatitis A, and the flu. Therefore, they are at a greater risk of getting the virus. However, in order to maintain their distance some sleep in parking lots six feet apart in their own white square. 

Most homeless people are undernourished, have poor hygiene, don’t get enough sleep, or have suffered from substance abuse and mental illness. This creates yet another way they are more prone to catching the virus. 

The lack of resources is another grave concern. They have no access to bathrooms with sinks and toilets, so much as access to toilet paper and many other things we have at home to maintain proper hygiene. 

The CDC (Center of Disease Control) recommends, “110 sqaure feet per person for people housed during the outbreak.” Most shelters don't have enough space to hold the high demand of homeless people in need of housing.

In order to increase space, some shelters are even rearranging their furniture to give more people housing, but that results in fewer beds and more people sleeping outside.

On a more positive note, the government has funded up to $4 billion in relief for the homeless. Shelters expect to have no further issues struggling with food supply and other materials to help the homeless issue during this pandemic.