Stabilizing The Health & Safety In Our Communities

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As the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has turned over into the 2021 year, it has heavily impacted the ability of society to get together socially and has caused high amounts of financial burden, large impacts on mental health, and increasingly stressful times for many families in our communities due to unemployment rates and the drastic cuts of working hours for the working population. But the pandemic hasn't only affected working families, it has had a large impact on the homeless communities as well as the service providers who are on the front lines working at shelters, or those who are providing housing services when our society is still in its phases of lockdown.

Specifically in Hawaii, the state has worked to reopen public restrooms and facilities for the homeless populace alongside the help of the Department of Human Services and the Department of Health. As the worry for mental health alongside the pandemic has risen without the proper basic needs being met for all of the individuals who are impacted by homelessness. (Nextar, 2021) Many other states are starting to follow in the same footsteps, going forward in reopening public areas to the general population. Slowly moving towards heavily populated areas like large major cities. Yet the most affected of the homeless populace no matter where they’re located would be those who are battling with mental illness as they’re the farthest on the receiving end of obtaining proper medical care. While they are also the ones most susceptible to contracting COVID-19 since their situation is less likely to be provided with a clean and stable living environment. (Sharma, M. & Aggarwal, S. 2020) 


COVID-19 Testing Site
One of The Many COVID-19 Pop Up Testing Sites


But why is this such a big problem? Well while we continue to move forward getting out of this global health and safety emergency that is COVID-19. We won’t be able to truly be done with the virus until we have everyone’s health taken into account. So it would be a smart first step to focus more on the accessibility to shelters as well as the accessibility to testing facilities that are located nearby the homeless populace in heavy traffic areas in order to not only keep the general public safe but those who are in the rather unfortunate situation of not being able to isolate themselves from everybody else with their day to day routines in order to survive.

Continuing forward with this type of action would also create a gateway for continued help in caring for someone's mental health, lessening the chance of individuals to stay homeless. As well as providing the action of obtaining prescriptions in battling initially undiagnosed mental illnesses, or at the very least starting the conversation of rehabilitation in order for the community overall to move forward into a safer and more livable space for everyone.

For more information on actions that you can make for this type of progression to take place in your own local community—look into the National Homeless’s website here, as they have more involvement opportunities and other information that is crucial to getting out of this pandemic healthily and safely for our society. As well as creating a brighter future for everyone.


Published By: Katie Storment, Student at Portland State University

Citations

Nextstar, Inc. (2021, March 10). Pandemic Impact on Mental Health & Homelessness [Honolulu (KHON2) – The pandemic has caused a rise in mental health concerns for Hawaii’s homeless community.]. Retrieved from https://www.khon2.com/living-808/community-living-808/pandemic-impact-on-mental-health-homelessness/

Sharma, M., & Aggarwal, S. (2020, September 1). Homeless persons with mental illness during COVID-19. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7462559/

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