As the coronavirus pandemic began to take shape, another epidemic came to light, homelessness. Even before the pandemic, homelessness was on the rise across the country. As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, there is an increasing number of homeless people in need of support; however, the lack of resources and volunteers to provide for them creates a continuous cycle that those being affected are unable to escape from.
This vulnerable community has increased over the past several months and, “Expected growths in the homeless population will add further strain to emergency services – services that already weren’t meeting the needs of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness, years before the crisis began” (Moses 4). The problem of homelessness is not a new concept. It has always been a major complication within society; however, it has recently received new attention due to the countless people joining the expanding population. The system to serve these people was never designed to provide shelter for a quarter of a million more homeless people. This added strain has forced shelters to ration resources and gather more volunteers and supplies to help.
The coronavirus pandemic has placed emphasis on the relationship between housing and public health. As more and more people are staying in homeless shelters, they have become a petri dish for the coronavirus to spread. Additionally, “Augmenting the general dangers presented by increased positivity rates among a given population, the CDC reports that since many people experiencing homelessness are often older adults or have underlying medical conditions, they may face even more severe illness due to COVID-19” (“The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic” 14).
Experts believe that those with underlying health conditions or of older age are more susceptible to contracting the virus and having more severe symptoms that could potentially lead to death. These same populations often experience homelessness at a higher rate leading to a double force of danger. People experiencing homelessness are unable to escape the inevitable exposure to the virus and are forced to suffer at the hands of a system that was not prepared to support them. The lack of sufficient healthcare resources creates a divide within society that negatively impacts the homeless population.
Homelessness is a major problem that eventually affects society as a whole. As this population continues to grow, the government is required to use their resources to assist them. This affects the economy and the government’s ability to ration tax payer dollars. Homelessness can negatively affect business in towns within high homeless populations. Additionally, it impacts the crime and safety with the community. It is beneficial, for all people, to help break the cycle of homelessness and provide assistance to relief programs.
Works Cited
Moses, Joy. “COVID-19 and the State of Homelessness.” National Alliance to End Homelessness, 19 May 2020. endhomelessness.org/covid-19-and-the-state-of-homelessness/.
“The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Homelessness in the United States: United Way.” United Way of the National Capital Area, 16 February 2021, unitedwaynca.org/stories/effect-pandemic-homeless-us/.
Dear Emily,
I loved your post, “The Epidemic of Homelessness Due to COVID” because it is shocking to me how large the amount of people who need resources is. Homelessness is a big issue and with COVID it has become an even bigger problem.
One sentence you wrote that stands out to me is “This affects the economy and the government’s ability to ration taxpayer dollars. Homelessness can negatively affect business in towns with high homeless populations.” I think this is crazy how it can have such a big impact on the economy and the government.
Thank you for writing I look forward to seeing what you write next because you speak on such important issues that no one really pays attention to.
Karen.
Hi Emily,
I loved your article, really well-researched and well-written. In the third paragraph, when you said, “As more and more people are staying in homeless shelters, they have become a petri dish for the coronavirus to spread,” I was reminded of an initiative by Salt Lake City homeless shelters to use vaccines that only require a single shot, such as Johnson and Johnson’s vaccine. This is because either homeless people don’t have the identification to record both their first and second doses, or they’re transient and can’t be tracked down after the first dose. A single shot vaccine would solve both of these issues.
Great writing!
-Charlie
Dear Emily
I am surprised by your writing, “The Epidemic of Homelessness due to Covid” because even though I had the general knowledge based around the issue, I wasn’t aware of the many other effects that this had on shelters and emergency services. Along with the way you speak of covid spreading quicker through these homeless shelters. This ties into the sentence you wrote which really got my attention, “As more and more people are staying in homeless shelters, they have become a petri dish for the coronavirus to spread.”, I feel as if this is an important point because, without the resources needed to support them, the homeless people are more likely to develop sever cases of Covid.
Thank you for writing this and I look forward to your future writings because your way of explaining things is really engaging and helpful as it paints a picture for us, the readers. I would like to see what you have to say about other important topics.
Leonel
Dear Emily, I really enjoyed reading your article. Homelessness has increased due to the pandemic. Unfortunately not everybody could be helped but maybe one day we can eventually help everybody out so nobody will be homeless. I agree with you that homelessness does affect businesses and our society! It’s overall a sad situation. Thank you for your writing.
I really like you’re post about the problem of homelessness and the connection with covid. I agree with you about how homelessness affects us as a society and how it affects businesses. Overall, I liked your post about the homeless community and the affect it has on everyone!
I really like this article! I think you did a really good job of emphasizing how much of an issue this has become due to covid. It really adds perspective since most of us don’t see this on a daily basis. Great job!