New York City Must Shield Homeless From Coronavirus, Legal Aid Says Posted on March 30, 2020 by Sarah Murphy Advocates are calling on New York City to provide hotel rooms for tens of thousands of homeless people so they can practice social distancing and self-quarantine in the epicenter of the nation’s new coronavirus crisis. The Legal Aid Society, a public-interest law firm, warned in a letter sent to the city Thursday and reviewed by The Wall Street Journal that failing to act now will endanger shelter residents and workers and contribute to the spread of the disease.
As New York Battles Coronavirus, the Homeless Crisis Rages On, Too Posted on March 26, 2020 by Jacquelyn Simone Year after year, we have seen the homelessness crisis reach record highs. One need not analyze the statistics to notice — every New Yorker sees it with their own eyes. More than 250,000 New Yorkers were homeless at some point in the 2018-2019 school year. While New York City remains the epicenter of the worst homelessness crisis since the Great Depression, this is a crisis that does not discriminate and is not confined to only certain neighborhoods.
A High-Stakes Race to Help NYC’s Homeless as Coronavirus Spreads Posted on March 23, 2020 by Nicole Edine Last weekend, the first homeless person in a city-run shelter tested positive for coronavirus. As of Friday, there were seven at four separate shelters. Meanwhile, homeless people who stay on sidewalks and subways rather than go to often dangerous shelters are overwhelming city-supported drop-in centers that offer meals and showers at a time when staying clean is crucial. The dual dynamic, advocates for the homeless say, adds to a growing health crisis — with vulnerable people living in close quarters in the era of social distancing while those in the streets struggle more than ever to get help in an all but shut down city. The city is now scrambling on everything from opening new drop-in centers to creating quarantine spaces at shelters to buying thermometers to screen clients before they’re sent to a facility. But time is tight in the race to help a fragile population, many of them already dealing with mental health and addiction challenges, in the midst of a global pandemic. “This is extremely urgent and dire,” said Giselle Routhier, director of outreach for the Coalition for the Homeless. “People don’t have access to basic supplies to live.”
