For the past three weeks, we have focused on COVID-19 responses in the United States. We thought it would be worthwhile to also provide information about COVID-19 responses across the country. New Zealand has made international headlines for its strict coronavirus lockdown. After one month, camping had appeared to be eliminated in the country. One of the local service providers said, "People who have never been housed are now temporarily in housing. They're saying to us, which they've never said before, 'Please, can you keep me in this place?"
The government has expressed similar sentiments, and have pledged $100 million to keep 1,200 motel room available for the homeless until next April, as well as promising to build 8,000 more affordable housing units. The year-long intention of this motel plan is to provide leadership enough time to set up transitional housing and create thorough action plans. This is critical as the country faces a severe housing shortage and affordability crisis. Home construction has slowed down significantly, and public housing is hard to come by. Many service providers worry that a year will be too long to wait.
They have urged MPs to think more innovatively about speeding up the process of building new properties-one suggestion being- investing in prefabricated housing.
Much like New Zealand, the English government has promised to make 3,300 homes available within 12 months to prevent camping. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government will bring forward £160m of its £381m four-year budget to fund critical services this fiscal year. Six thousand transitional housing units will be built, and additional funds will go to wrap-around services.
Since the initial lockdown, about 5,400 unsheltered individuals have been moved into hotel infrastructure. The government reported that 90% of unsheltered individuals have been offered emergency accommodation. However, many local service providers have noted an increase in homeless people living on the streets. A report was leaked that claimed the government would stop funding the emergency housing programs.
Homeless advocates have started campaigning for rental assistance. They worry that when eviction moratoriums end in June, the need for homeless services will be tenfold. One provider said, " If the government truly wants to keep people off the streets during this pandemic, it must give judges the power to ensure thousands of renters aren't made homeless when the eviction freeze ends in June.
Toronto's homeless shelters have been busier than ever before, in the wake of COVID-19. As a result of the pandemic, the centers have had to adjust many of the services it offers. Usually, they offer between 300-400 meals, and that number has now doubled. Shelter space is almost non-existent due to physical distancing guidelines.
The City of Toronto settled a lawsuit filed against them by advocacy groups at the lack of proper physical distancing within the shelters. The congregate nature of communal living requires strict and well-maintained protocols to prevent spread. The amount of people living in shelters has decreased because they are unable to bring in new clients. This has resulted in adapting the housing resettlement programs. In the past, case managers would assist former homeless individuals in finding a home, and then offering assistance during the transition and additional support. This has been impossible to do. Homeless people have minimal access to virtual support, and case managers have lost communication.
According to data provided by the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, up to 235,000 Canadians circle through homeless shelters each year. On any given night, there can be as many as 35,000 people are in a shelter. They believe that the ultimate solutions lie in "getting people off the streets and into affordable housing, something that can be done with changes to government policy." Homeless advocates urge the launch of initiatives that provide a universal basic income for Canadians. This will help with rental assistance and allow those who suffer from financial hardship to stay out of homeless systems. Outside of Toronto, the Canadian federal government has announced that they will be spending $157.5 million to assist the general homeless population with physical distancing.
Sources:
https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/the-toll-covid-19-is-taking-on-canada-s-homeless-1.4950722