Houselessness During COVID-19
Abstract
Following the outbreak of COVID-19, homelessness in San Francisco has been increasing at alarming rates. With this increase invulnerable populations, the city of San Francisco has been using hotel rooms, city-managed tent sites, and other programs to help mitigate the effects of this public health crisis. After researching the various initiatives that the City took to combat the effects of COVID-19 on its homeless population, we discuss our own proposed solutions that were founded on the basic principle of viewing housing as a human right. Furthermore, we emphasize the importance of healthcare and safety in these solutions, with data and information collected from Policy map, the official government website of San Francisco, and the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. We discuss the economic feasibility of our proposal, exploring the costs and benefits of our solution, as well as the source of funding from the city’s budget and the COVID-19relief stimulus bills. Lastly, we discuss how our findings and solutions will contribute to minimizing the inequitable effects of this pandemic on the homeless population.
