Homeless support during covid-19
Helping People in the Community Survive a Pandemic
How do you wash your hands when you don't have access to soap and water? How do you shelter-in-place without shelter? To survive, many people who are experiencing homelessness resort to eating food that others have tossed aside (possibly contaminated) and with hands covered with germs and disease. Further, most of these people live in close proximity to one another so if one person becomes infected, the virus can quickly spread throughout encampments. This demographic is already high-risk and an outbreak will undoubtedly further overwhelm an already taxed healthcare system.
Humanitarian Action Network partnered with Sacramento Steps Forward to make addressing these concerns a priority, and immediately begin providing tents, camp toilets, personal sanitation supplies, water and non-perishable food, first-aid supplies, and more to people experiencing homelessness at an encampment of 30 people in South Sacramento. The project lasted for six weeks, and our goal was to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 by providing a weekly drop-off of supplies to each person's tent, to allow these individuals to self-isolate to protect themselves and those around them.
The project is now complete but we continue to provide masks, hand sanitizer, food, water, first-aid and personal hygiene supplies, and more to people in need throughout Sacramento. Please click here to learn how you can help.