As of May 27, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the coronoavirus has taken the lives of 99,031 Americans. These numbers include people from all walks of life, and the virus does not discriminate. Certain populations are more vulnerable to the ravages of the disease, such as the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions. Some of the faces of its victims are familiar, while some of them are strangers. Many of them, though, are the people we see walking our city streets with no place to call home, living each day wondering how they will eat and survive. These people are our homeless, a vulnerable and almost forgotten demographic in our society, and one that continues to grow as people lose their jobs and their homes due to the economic crisis caused by the pandemic.
In its 2019 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development estimated that there were approximately 25,848 people experiencing homelessness in Texas. Locally, the 2019 Homeless Count and Survey performed by the Coalition for the Homeless indicated that the City of Houston could expect approximately 3,938 people to experience homelessness at any given moment. Naturally, those numbers could not have predicted any increase caused by a global pandemic.
In these times, not only is the virus that we are dealing with a novel one, but also it is creating a novel situation for people who are experiencing homelessness. Governmental agencies have recognized this and responded accordingly. The CDC has offered some guidance for planning, preparing, and responding to COVID-19 in situations involving people are experiencing homelessness. In Harris County’s Fourth Amended Stay Home, Work Safe Order, individuals experiencing homelessness are encouraged to maintain social distancing of at least six feet when using shared or outdoor spaces and are urged to seek shelter. In a previous order, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo also urged governmental and other agencies and entities to provide or donate face coverings for the homeless. Other initiatives that have been implemented to help the homeless through this crisis include: distributing face masks, hand santizer, and antispetic wipes to homeless agencies and homeless individuals; placing handwashing stations in areas with the highest concentrations of homeless people; and instituting a homeless testing program. Just last week, Healthcare for the Homeless - Houston (HHH), with the help of a generous donation, built an enclosed testing booth for its walk-up COVID-19 testing. (HHH was named the official testing site for those living on the streets in downtown Houston or in shelters).
The librarians here at the Harris County Law Library had also created a bookmark with names, addresses, and contact information for various agencies throughout the city that can provide assistance to those experiencing homelessness. We typically hand those out in the library, but since we are not opened to the public, here are the organizations included: