How the COVID Pandemic will become a Homelessness Pandemic

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With the outbreak of COVID-19, almost every family in our country will face significant challenges to ensure their family is safe, stable and healthy.  These challenges will be magnified for families experiencing housing instability, which:

• Reduces access to nutrition and makes families more susceptible to disease
• Limits the ability of a family to avoid an infected individual because of cramped quarters
• Limits access to hygiene because families with limited resources struggle to secure cleaning products, sanitizers, and other high-demand supplies

Beyond the near-term effects, this outbreak will undoubtedly destabilize the housing situation of countless families in our country well into the future.  

• Workers are experiencing unprecedented layoffs
• School closures mean parents will be forced to stay at home without pay
• Without paid sick leave, an illness in a family will mean serious losses to household income

The economic fallout of this crisis will disproportionately impact families in poverty.  It is projected that we will see increases in homelessness, evictions, and food insecurity well into the future.