has hammered that point home with deadly seriousness: At least 27 people experiencing homelessness have already died in New York City, the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, where nearly 14,000 died as of Tuesday, or nearly one third of the nation's death toll.
Roughly 17 out of every 10,000 Americans experience homelessness, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, a nonpartisan organization based in Washington, D.C. Of those,Federal guidelines for helping slow the spread of coronavirus call for people experiencing homelessness to either be sheltered in large"congregate" shelters, like recreation centers or auditoriums, or in encampments like the one in Fort Collins.
The goal is to slow the spread of the outbreak and help save lives. People experiencing homelessness generally lack access to adequate sanitary facilities such as sinks to wash their hands in, and often congregate in tight groups or on city buses while also moving around regularly. "When you're worried about where your next meal is coming from, or trying to figure out a way out of homelessness or struggling with addiction, you're not thinking a lot about the coronavirus," said Brad Meuli, president and CEO of the Denver Rescue Mission.
Officers confiscated the man's knife and ordered him to leave the encampment for violating rules against weapons, even though the knife was sheathed and he wasn't threatening anyone with it. At times, there were at least six officers at the encampment, along with two private security officers hired to patrol the shelter.
Those advocates are trying to persuade the federal government — with mixed success — to help pay for hotel rooms in cities from Los Angeles to Las Vegas and Chicago, arguing that keeping the homeless community safe and healthy will protect the rest of the country from potential reinfection.