The Impact of Covid-19 on Homelessness

 

As Covid-19 has impacted the state of our world, the homeless population has been hit harder than most. According to www.npr.org, not only is the homeless population continuously growing but is also being devastated by the various components of the virus. In January of 2020 there was an estimated 580,000 individuals who were experiencing homelessness. The main hardship Covid-19 is bringing is the difficulty in shelters. Not everyone has access to masks, vaccines, or general healthcare which leaves this population vulnerable to the virus and allows it to spread rapidly in environments such as a shelter or facility. Due to this, the number of individuals living on the street has exceeded the number in shelters. 

It was reported by www. katu.com in February, 2021 that Portland, in particular, lessened their steps to reduce the homeless crisis when the pandemic hit leaving shelters closing and those open without the space or resources to help the amount of people in need. In the Covid Relief package put in place under the Biden administration, there is almost 5 billion, out of the 1.9 trillion, going to supporting the homeless population during this time. 

In Portland, organizations such as Portland Street Medicine are making a positive impact during this time. They are a group of volunteer health care professionals who provide on-site medical care for individuals experiencing homelessness. Although there is still an expected increase in the homeless population nation-wide, organizations like Portland Street Medicine and those similar to the volunteers presented in the video above are helping to support the community through this time. If you want to donate to Portland Street Medicine click here to support the cause. 

- Gabby Jones