About UNews
The University News
Homelessness and COVID-19
Klaudia Wachnik, Staff Writer|September 30, 2020
Andrea Porter
Long after a vaccine is rolled out and case numbers decline, the effects of the virus will linger in the lives of the homeless and economically disadvantaged. Individuals and families who are homeless, as well as those currently living in poverty, will feel the current recession for years to come, in the St. Louis community and beyond.
COVID-19, in the economic sense, will undoubtedly have the same effect for those living in poverty as it did during the 2008-2009 recessions.
"One thing that is absolutely certain is that there will be a profound increase in homelessness over time because of COVID-19" said Tim Huffman, Ph.D., associate professor in the department of communication and faculty mentor for Labre, an organization that conducts outreach to the unhoused of St Louis. "Part of the reason that happens is because if you're on the boundary of poverty and you have a series of bad months, there are probably things you can do to stabilize for the time being … [but it] only works for so long."
For those who are currently experiencing homelessness and for those who will potentially experience it, efforts are being made to assist them even amidst a pandemic like COVID-19.
"We're all about building relationships and building connections. We don't want to be just the people that stop by every week and drop off food. We want to be the people that build relationships with people we meet and build lasting friendships," said Sophie Mueller, senior within the Labre organization.
Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, there are less individuals doing outreach overall, and the shelters have fewer people helping out. However, many outreach programs and heroes in their own right have risen to the challenge of supporting and coming up with plans to continue to provide to homeless individuals. "For the last six [or] seven months, every nonprofit [organization] has been busting their butt to try to change the way that it responded to issues because of the pandemic," said Huffman.
Many shelters have reconfigured to allow for social distancing, and outreach organizations have changed their practices so that they don't spread the virus. St. Louis County built an entire quarantine and isolation shelter system for people who lack permanent housing through collaboration at a regional level. All across the city, housing organizations have been trying to figure out ways to allow for more individuals to utilize their resources quickly, especially for the approaching winter season.
"There are people trying to figure out how we can create increased shelter capacity to expand our shelter operations and get people to survive the winter and the pandemic at the same time," said Huffman.
Klaudia Wachnik,
Andrea Porter, Photo Editor
Andrea Porter (she/her/hers) is a Junior majoring in Integrated Strategic Communication with a minor in Visual Communication and Marketing. This is her first year with the University News as Photo Editor and she beyond thankful and excited to be a part of this group! She found her love for photography while abroad and ever since has relished taking pictures, whether it be portraits, landscapes, pets, etc. She loves being able to capture meaningful moments. When she's not busy with school, she loves to travel, draw, paint, do any sort of crafts, watch Netflix and hang out with her family and friends.
The President Getting Infected with COVID-19 is a National Embarrassment
Please Be My Friend
On the first day of kindergarten, I made two new friends by simply sitting on the carpet with the people who had the coolest stuffed animals and askin...
Worst time to have your period in America
Isolation at SLU
The Gateway/Gayway Times Debacle, Fully Explained
SLU DPS Officers Seen Not Wearing Masks On Campus
Reports from students recently surfaced that some SLU DPS officers have not been following university mask policies while on campus. SLU's mask ...
SLU Students Petition to Go Abroad
Not Just The Presidential Election
Overlooking the obvious transition of the White House from red to blue, the 2020 election also included the passing of some monumental bills, and opp...
HRL Retracts Controversial Statement Regarding Student Worker's Right to Protest
A New Fall Welcome
Are You Still Committed?
Save a life: be a snitch
Political Campaigns in the Age of COVID-19
Health Advisory Dashboard
The Student News Site of Saint Louis University