Responses to challenges posed by COVID-19 across Northern America vary in format and effectiveness. Some have been very successful in implementing quick responses that mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in congregate living, while others haven't done the work needed, and homeless individuals are paying the price. One common thread for most of these cities is the planning they are starting to put into place regarding the transition from the COVID-19 emergency.
In Colorado, Fort Collins is seeking to used Federal Emergency Management Agency funds designated for "non-congregate" housing to fund hotel programs. The local government can receive up to 75% cost reimbursement from FEMA, including support for meals, security, operations, and custodial services. This hotel program would act as the first step to providing permanent housing for participants. Fort Collins in Larimer county only has 450 positive cases so far, but are determined to prevent future spread by creating a system that facilitates public health orders.
Battle Creek, Michigan, has already implemented hotel and motel non-congregate shelters to mitigate spread but face more significant problems once eviction moratorium is lifted. Many service providers are concerned that after Michigan's eviction order prohibiting evictions expires, the area will be hit with a wave of homelessness that they aren't equipped to handle. Calhoun County, where Battle Creek is located, already had high eviction numbers before COVID-19. The daily eviction average being 4.5, which is higher than three times the state average.
Over the past few months, requests for rental assistance have increased. Michelle Williamson, CEO of Community Action Agency of South Central Michigan, which provides eviction prevention, as well as other social services, said "We know that there are many community members that have been in the position of losing their job or being laid off that have never had to seek assistance previously, just because of COVID-19. That's one thing that we're most concerned about is that there'll be such a bottleneck that everybody will try to receive assistance at one time, and it will be hard to get through."
This system is likely to be overwhelmed very quickly. Battle Creek is helping individuals before they are evicted. They have implemented case management and started conversations early, so people have the tools to self-identify risks for homelessness. One way that Battle Creek is hoping to do this is by coordinating with landlords so that there is flexibility in their contracts. Some lessons learned through this process for service providers are that "With a little bit of case management, and some oversight and maybe $500, [they] were able to get most of the people out of [their] shelter[s]." Battle Creek has seen that there are alternatives to help those facing homelessness than the traditional model: maybe the most important being prevention.
St. Louis has had similar conclusions to Battle Creek, prevention is key. In St. Louis, homelessness was already a public health crisis before the stress of COVID-19. More than 75,000 households experience a severe housing burden, paying more than 50% of their income to keep a roof over their heads. Homeless services in St. Louis provide 700 shelter beds, plus 3,500 transitional and permanent housing services. This system already overburdened is gearing up to be completely overwhelmed, as the 120-day moratorium expires this summer. A social services hotline answered 7,700 calls for housing and shelter in March and April. They have projected homelessness will increase significantly, peaking at 3,000 new households a month. These shocking numbers call for an immediate policy solution. Something already exists in St. Louis' infrastructure from the American Recovery Act of 2009 that may aide in this crisis. Families can call a single hotline that will assess their needs and make immediate connections to experienced affordable housing agencies. Based on these interactions, the families received tailored supports that commonly included short-term rentals, mortgage assistance, and considerable housing advice. Data following the implementation of this hotline showed a 30% reduction in the likelihood of homelessness.
As we begin to navigate a post- COVID-19 world, we need to focus our efforts on preventative care. We can pool regional resources for a rapid and robust homelessness prevention system. St. Louis was able to do it, Battle Creek did something similar with relative ease. Now is not the time for us to wait, because in a matter of months our homeless resources have to potential to be completely overburdened with no solution in sight.
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