The homeless need assistance during COVID-19 crisis
To the Editor:
Now that COVID-19 is a matter of public health, what is happening here in Cape May County?
We at Cape Hope, as a private, nonprofit service provider, are here to assist those who are experiencing homelessness and to work with local and state agencies; but the responsibility for preserving life and health belongs to the county officials who are calling the shots related to the coronavirus pandemic.
This is a problem in which we cannot afford to be reactive; we have to get ahead of the problem, and we have to protect the most vulnerable among us.
We don’t have the numbers of people experiencing homelessness as does the West Coast, or even eastern cities, such as Philadelphia, but we do have at least one rather large homeless encampment, with reports of about 30 tents set up in a single area. We also have people in short-term, emergency housing who are facing imminent loss of housing and who will be out on the street.
If this was not considered a matter of public health before the coronavirus outbreak, it certainly is now. Individuals who live outdoors, perhaps in an encampment, and whose health is already compromised, do encounter the general population.
What can we do to help get ahead of such a problem? Cape May County government should tap into whatever resources are available via state and federal government. An article in The Press of Atlantic City, “Margate awarded $47,000 for homeless programs” (March 15), indicated about $2.2 million was awarded to homeless programs in New Jersey. HUD Secretary Ben Carson was quoted as saying the Trump administration was “committed to lifting up all Americans,” and regarding the homelessness grants, Carson said, “The path of self-sufficiency begins with a safe place to sleep and ultimately, an affordable place to call home.”
Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency in New Jersey beginning March 9. That should open FEMA funds to help the county mobilize efforts to help those experiencing homelessness. The county should do its utmost to acquire federal and state funds to, at a minimum, provide the basics needed to ward off coronavirus; including supplying hand sanitizer, a dependable source of clean water and easy access to showers. Beyond that, there must be a facility where infected individuals can be quarantined until they are deemed no longer a threat.
It has long been our position that homelessness is not just detrimental to those experiencing homelessness, but it is also a public health issue. It would behoove local governments to take an interest in having everyone indoors, rather than existing outdoors without healthy levels of sanitation and hygiene.
The Cape May County Board of Chosen Freeholders needs to evacuate people from unsafe places, provide transportation and emergency shelter for those people experiencing homelessness who cannot self-quarantine or do not have access to food or necessary supplies to protect themselves while exposed.
This is a matter of human preservation and public safety.
Denise South, director, Cape Hope