The Covid 19 pandemic has exposed the deep flaws within the U.S. housing system, especially regarding America’s homeless population. As infection rates rose at the start of the crisis, states and cities scrambled to address the unique health risks posed to unhoused residents. Nearly a year later, COVID-19 continues to leave workers unemployed and families unable to pay their rent. Now, as many more residents find themselves closer to homelessness than ever, it is essential that policymakers make affordable housing a priority.
To make matters worse, the nation’s largest cities were already experiencing record numbers of homelessness before the pandemic. In the last decade, New York City has seen a 120% increase in homelessness amongst single adults and a 56% increase in people living in homeless shelters. Unsurprisingly, the virus has disproportionately affected the city’s homeless population. In April alone, the death of homeless residents in NYC shelters was 157% higher than any month in 2019. Additionally, by June 1, the mortality rate due to COVID-19 among the homeless population was 61% higher than New York City’s general population rate.
In a rush to reduce infections in tightly-packed, communal spaces, like shelters, cities like New York and D.C. resorted to using hotels to house their homeless residents. While perhaps necessary in the short term, this tactic is incredibly expensive and fails to address the root causes of homelessness. D.C. spends roughly $2 million per month renting hotel rooms for homeless residents, which make up 73 percent of people in quarantine hotel rooms. Before the pandemic, D.C. spent roughly $5 million per year on overflow motel contracts. These solutions are temporary, costly, and often inhumane, as rooms are frequently packed well above capacity.
New York City has even faced backlash for using hotels to house the homeless. The Legal Aid Society recently filed suit against the city after homeless New Yorkers complained that as many as 11 people were stuffed into one hotel room, raising health concerns. The suit calls for single occupancy hotel rooms for those experiencing homelessness during the pandemic, and for special accommodations for those with health risks. After surrounding neighbors complained about their unhoused neighbors, male residents staying in the Upper West Side hotels were moved to Lower Manhattan, causing even more concern about them spreading the virus on their journey. Now, Lower Manhattan doesn’t want homeless residents moved to their neighborhood. The city is casting aside homeless people and resorting to temporary solutions.
As an alternative to hotel housing, the Department of Human Services and other nonprofit organizations have suggested a Rapid Re-housing Program, which is reserved mainly for families experiencing homelessness. Some studies, however, have shown that rapid re-housing can cause those experiencing homelessness to slip further into poverty. According to a 2017 report by the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, 45 percent of families who go through the program have ended up in eviction court as a result of rent delinquency. Once they have a court record, it can become even more difficult to find housing in the future. The idea is that after short-term rental assistance, families will be able to pay full rent, however, the project fails to keep people housed long term.
Moreover, since they receive set government subsidies, landlords often take advantage of families’ conditions and pay little attention to housing quality. Families have reported black mold, sewage flooding, absence of heat in the winter, and dead rats in the ventilation systems. If families try to break their lease, they could face bad credit and an uphill battle towards new housing. Although D.C.’s rapid rehousing claims an 85 percent success rate in getting families housed, the retention rate is lower; only two in every five families maintain housing independently.
Instead of relying on rapid re-housing, cities should focus on long-term affordable housing for single adults and families experiencing homelessness. One possible solution is permanent supportive housing, which was first used by New York City in the 1970s. Permanent supportive housing combines long-term affordable housing with voluntary support services and programs that address chronic homelessness. Programs focus on independent living skills, connecting the chronic homeless with healthcare, mental health services, and employment services. The program succeeded in decreasing homelessness, particularly amongst those struggling with a mental illness, with participants in the program experiencing significantly less time without shelter (as much as 65 days per person in Chicago).
Although some critics argue the program is too costly, isolated and national studies alike find that in fact the program reduces homeless residents’ cost to the public as it addresses the root causes of homelessness. In one study, the program reduced a person experiencing homelessness’ public cost by $1,145 per year in the City of Knoxville. In New York City, the daily operating cost for a supporting housing unity is $46 compared to a day in a shelter ($68), the psychiatric hospital ($467), jail ($129), and what the Department of Human Services pays for a hotel room nightly (more than $300), according to the Supportive Housing Network of New York. This is not to mention the substantial collateral benefits to the quality of life, for both homeless and housed residents. Instead of spending $364 million on emergency hotel contracts, New York should increase and foster its affordable housing programs.
The number of people experiencing homelessness will continue to grow as reasons for homelessness diversify; each decade brings more challenges, including climate change, economic recession, the growing cost of education, increasing segregation in certain neighborhoods, and artificial intelligence. Therefore, it is crucial that, as a society, we change our mindset towards homelessness. Now more than ever, we must implement policies which not only provide immediate shelter to unhoused residents, but also strike at the root causes of homelessness.