Why Housing The Homeless In The Age Of Covid-19 Is Essential

This US opinion piece argues the case for housing homeless people in currently empty facilities, as a way of limiting the spread of the virus.. Homeless people tend to have higher rates of the kinds of chronic conditions that make severe illness with SARS-CoV2—and the need for greater medical resources—more likely. The country can’t afford to allow large swathes of the population to go unhoused and exposed. It endangers everyone. Because of the pandemic, the US has millions of vacated dorm rooms, offices, and hotel rooms. Use these empty spaces to house those without homes, and avert what could lead to ongoing disaster.