It has been over a year since the country went on lockdown for COVID-19. When the “shelter-in-place” orders came last March, we had no idea how much our lives were about to change. 

Many men, women, and children were already living on the streets when the pandemic began – they had no home to take shelter in. Not only that, but they had nowhere to go to safely wash their hands and no masks to protect themselves from the virus. They also had less access to healthcare, should they find themselves sick.

Not only have the people already experiencing homelessness been affected by the pandemic, but others have also been affected in the last year as well. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a rise in homelessness.

People began losing jobs last March and that has only continued throughout this pandemic. Job loss is a contributing factor to homelessness for many. With no job comes no money, which can lead to an inability to pay for housing.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a large increase in alcohol and drug addiction, overdose, and suicide. Numbers are showing that the pandemic has disrupted the lives of individuals in recovery, and not only that, but has led to more facing addiction and mental health illness.

A few numbers:

• 81,230 people died of drug overdose May 2019-2020 – the largest number of drug overdoses ever recorded in a year
• Currently, only 10% of people with substance abuse disorders receive comprehensive treatment
• In January 2021, 41% of adults reported symptoms of anxiety and/or depressive disorder

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the homeless population in many ways. However, hope has prevailed despite job loss, evictions, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Our goal is to empower those experiencing homelessness, and we’ll continue to do so as we get past the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sources: KIPU Health, KFF, the CDC, and the National Center for Health