Poster

Project Title

Group Names

Introduction

Ever since COVID-19 hit America, many Americans have lost their jobs and have fell into financial struggles. For my research project I wanted to find out how COVID-19 has affected homelessness, by seeing of more people have became homeless and how the virus is affecting shelters. Shelters are already packed, and unsanitary, and homeless people are more vulnerable to dying from COVID due to underlying health issues. I wanted to see if people are for or against the proposed solutions of opening closed facilities to use as shelters and have testing kits be prioritized at shelters before widespread accessibility.

Research Question

What needs to be done for shelters to be safer spaces for homeless people?

Will the public approve the proposition of opening closed facilities for more shelter space, and giving shelters priority testing?

Hypothesis

If shut down facilities and dorms open to hold more homeless people, the spread of COVID-19 can slow down, as there is more social distancing and more available washing stations. Shelter screenings should also occur to prevent sick people from contaminating others. I believe will be in favor of the proposition.

Data/Method

Data Chart

Narrative or Case Study

Shelters are full or closed in some areas, common places for bathrooms are closed, and soup kitchens lack workers and supplies.

More people are going to shelters, which leads to a faster spread of the virus among homeless. To combat the spread, some shelters have put people into motel rooms, prioritizing seniors and those who show symptoms.

Dr. Komaromy believes that the recently evacuated dorms and office spaces could be of use for sheltering the homeless. Housing the homeless is important due to how easily it can be spread and how the homeless can’t socially distance. People in shelters are crowed together, which is a health concern

Results/Conclusion

Take Action

More awareness needs to be spread about the struggle's shelters are going through during this pandemic. To help the homeless, donate canned foods and water to help support shelters. Also talk to local government to set up more sanitizing stations and allow for more shelters to open up. If you are privileged enough to not be affected by COVID-19, help volunteer at food shelters.

Works Cited

Bartholomew, Anita. “Why Housing The Homeless In The Age Of Covid-19 Is Essential.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 3 Apr. 2020, www.forbes.com/sites/anitabartholomew/2020/04/03/why-housing-the-homeless-in-the-age-of-covid-19-is-essential/#62fbf69c3284.

Black, Meg. “How COVID-19 Is Impacting People Experiencing Homelessness.” Global Citizen, 18 Apr. 2020, www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/coronavirus-impact-on-homessless-population/.

Ellis, Emma Grey. “For Homeless People, Covid-19 Is Horror on Top of Horror.” Wired, Conde Nast, 2 Apr. 2020, www.wired.com/story/coronavirus-covid-19-homeless

What I found was that many people knew of family members losing jobs, but not many became homeless due to it. My survey researched many young people who were mostly Middle-Upper Middle class. The majority were for the proposition of opening closed facilities to use as homeless shelters but were almost split on if shelters should get priority testing kits. Many felt that testing kits should not be based off your financial state. In the survey I asked if they have heard the news about how shelters are unsanitary and could spread the virus quickly, and 80% were clueless. This shows that the media is not spreading enough awareness about the challenges the homeless and shelters are going through during this pandemic. In conclusion, the majority are for the proposition of opening closed facilities to be used as shelters but want fair disruption of test kits. Given from the information, more awareness needs to be given to the public about the struggles happening in shelters during this pandemic.

I did a survey asking the public what they’ve heard, if they knew anyone who was affected financially by COVID-19, and what their thoughts were on the purposed solutions. My hypothesis is answered through public opinion and seeing if people would or wouldn’t mind putting homeless people as a priority for testing and shelter during these times. The survey was delivered through the social media sites Snapchat and Instagram. My target population was the people of the Seattle metropolitan area, and I wanted a range of different social classes, so I could see how each were affected. I decided to do a survey because it can reach people quickly and allows the responder to let me know what they think about the issue. I plan on analyzing the information to see what they know about the issue, what they think about the proposition, and how different social classes are affected by the pandemic. I want to see if my age group has been informed about the struggles the homeless community is going through right now, as well as the struggles of the shelters being run.