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Apparently, I am supposed to be one of those scholars who will tell you all the various ways in which COVID-19 is going to impact homeless individuals (or in English-speak, rough-sleepers). This is one that you may not have come across, so buckle up.
People experiencing homelessness, like any of us, require toilets to relieve themselves, for sanitation purposes. Forget about the fact that they, too, would need to wash their hands. Let's just talk about not having toilets available. https://www.heraldmailmedia.com/news/nation/lack-of-bathrooms-sanitation-leaves-unsheltered-homeless-less-protected-against/article_a0ceb075-3d61-5869-b8e2-2b73074a49f4.html
With the added challenge that coronavirus requires us to have better hand hygiene, without portable handwashing stations, homeless individuals will be at increased risk. Los Angeles installed some, but they are drying up https://la.curbed.com/2020/4/1/21203396/homeless-coronavirus-los-angeles-handwashing-stations
Certainly, some towns and cities have been innovative in the approaches they take to help individuals who experience homelessness, like Harrisburg's deployment of portable toilets https://theburgnews.com/news/harrisburg-deploys-portable-toilets-to-assist-homeless-population
But this is still too little. There are some bold moves that have included
But this is still too little. There are some bold moves that have included
... putting rough sleepers up in hotels, like San Francisco is doing https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-homelessness/coronavirus-forces-san-francisco-to-put-homeless-into-hotels-idUSKBN21L0DY
These measures are, unfortunately, temporary and their reach and impact are mediated by the fact that local governments have a very weak tax base and therefore are unable to provide...
These measures are, unfortunately, temporary and their reach and impact are mediated by the fact that local governments have a very weak tax base and therefore are unable to provide...
... some public services that are essential. These challenges are also partly the result of homeless individuals being broadly stigmatized all over the world, and the lack of interest in developing robust public policies to help them http://www.raulpacheco.org/2018/07/why-do-political-science-and-policy-sciences-shun-homelesness-as-a-research-focus/
I am aghast that ...
I am aghast that ...
... despite homelessness being a global issue, there are still very few bold public policies that address such a fundamental issue, and so little scholarly interest in homelessness policy.
Discussions around the human right to water and the human right to sanitation and...
Discussions around the human right to water and the human right to sanitation and...
... the right to the city need to take COVID-19 seriously. More so because from what I'm seeing online, some people infected with COVID-19 are also experiencing stigma and rejection, much like homeless people do (and like HIV sufferers did and do).
Let's rethink our world.
Let's rethink our world.
