Read on Twitter
. @LAHomeless's #ProjectRoomkey is only allowing homeless people in the program out of the hotel for 3 HOURS per day, due to heightened Covid risk. (see thread
)
)
If un-housed folks miss the deadline, they have to provide documentation, such as a doctor's note. They can leave their hotel rooms, but not the hotel. There are multiple issues w/ this type of rule:
1. Un-housed people often have multiple conditions that require trekking across the city to see doctors, specialists, etc. Getting from point A to point B in Los Angeles w/out a car can take an hour or more.
2. Even w/ documentation, Project Roomkey is highly punitive: a weeks ago my friend missed the curfew and had to sleep outside that night, where his phone was stolen. His caseworker had told the building manager the legitimate reason why he was later, but that didn't matter.
3. People w/ learning disabilities and/or mental health issues already have greater difficulties navigating systems in LA. Asking for documentation, in addition, is an added burden that I'm afraid some folks might not succeed in providing.
4. There are no limitations on the movement of hotel staff, caseworkers or any of the other people who move in and out of these hotels daily. Why have the liberties of ONLY the un-housed been limited?
5. What counts as documentation excludes legitimate concerns, such as attending to friends, family, etc. Penalizing pro-social behaviors is a great way to further marginalize the already marginalized.
6. Many un-housed folks are former prison inmates, who are traumatized by heavy surveillance of and limitations on their personal liberties. This is also a common reason why people won't go into Project Roomkey to begin with. Don't think you're going to convince them now...
7. The advice we've received from the health experts is that risk of contraction is a function of mask-wearing, distancing behaviors, combined w/ how many people one comes into contact with in what types of spaces. Focusing on time alone distills this complexity to a stupid rule.
8. The rules of Project Roomkey are constantly changing, unclear and opaque. There was no public announcement of this that I can find, despite the fact that family members, friends and community members deserve to know how their un-housed friends are being treated.
So, next time you complain about not being able to go to a restaurant, think about not being able to leave your room or the building you live in. Think about being timed and then penalized. Think about what it feels like to be a prisoner when you're supposed to be "free."
. @StreetWatchLA @ACLU_SoCal @KtownforAll I think this is both ethically trash and ineffective policy-making by @MayorOfLA, @heidimarstonLA and their cronies. If y'all want to do something, let's put our heads together and do it.
And FYI, I'm all for keeping people safe and reducing Covid transmission, even if we have to lockdown as a city/state/country. My concern is who is being locked down and who isn't, as well as how the policy does(n't) make use of public health advice.
@LAHomeless this policy is both inequitable and scientifically misguided, and I'm sure it will add to the punitive nature of an already prison-like program. How about educating un-housed folks and your employees on the risks of Covid and how to minimize them?
One final thought: my grandma was locked down in a nursing home in NY for the first 6 months of Covid before my folks took her in. I understand that sometimes institutions serving those w/ a heightened risk have to lock down. In this case, I just think there are better options.
*and that the consequences (b/c #ProjectRoomkey has already proven itself to be highly punitive) will lead to more program disqualifications and trauma for those still within the program.
