According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, National Health Care for the Homeless Coalition, National Low Income Housing Coalition, and researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, University of California, and Boston University, during the COVID-19 pandemic:
- People experiencing homelessness were more likely to have physical health conditions that made them more susceptible to the virus
- Accelerated aging in homeless populations increased their risk of severe illness
- The virus spread more easily through group settings, such as homeless shelters.
- People who experienced homelessness were:
- Twice as likely to be hospitalized from coronavirus compared to housed peers.
- 2–4 times as likely compared to housed peers to require critical care as a result of COVID-19.
- 2–3 times as likely as their housed peers to die from COVID-19.
- People experiencing homelessness had a harder time getting coronavirus-related assistance, due to lack of appropriate documentation.
- Homeless people did not always have adequate access to hygiene and sanitation facilities.
- High-density shelters would have required the removal of 50% of beds for social distancing, which created a need for 400,000 additional units nationwide. Los Angeles County alone needed 65,000 more units.
Shelters
The pandemic demonstrated that traditional shelter models were inherently vulnerable during public health crises. Despite implementing safety protocols (enhanced handwashing stations, daily deep cleaning, staggered mealtimes, and physical barriers between beds), high-density congregate settings could not adequately prevent transmission.
Shelters operating on limited budgets faced compounded challenges from volunteer and funding shortages.
Families and Youth
The pandemic revealed how housing instability creates cascading crises for vulnerable families. According to the Pulitzer Center, the virus pushed many low-income families into homelessness.
With schools closed, children lack needed routines, and parents may struggle with childcare options. Families without Internet access, devices, and lack of quiet places struggled to keep up with schoolwork. Homeless students are more likely to struggle in school than their housed peers to begin with, and school closings further exasperated this gap.
In addition, according to the Institute for Children, Poverty & Homelessness, homeless students are more likely to have special education needs and have those needs addressed later than their housed peers. Despite the best efforts of teachers, school closings can make it more difficult for students to receive needed services.
Homeless children are more likely to have health issues such as asthma and mental health issues such as depression, but less likely to have access to health care. School nurses often provide needed care.
COVID-19 demonstrated that effective pandemic response for people experiencing homelessness requires non-congregate emergency housing options, barrier-free access to assistance programs, expanded hygiene infrastructure, and recognition that stable housing is fundamental public health infrastructure, not just a social service.
