As we settle into January, New York City has experienced the first wave of the deadly Covid-19 pandemic and is looking into the barrel of a second. Undoubtedly, the homeless population has been amongst the worst hit by the pandemic, which the Fieldston News has chronicled over last spring and the summer. According to the Coalition for the Homeless, as of June 1st, the mortality rate due to Covid-19 for New York City was 200 deaths per 100,000 housed people; for the sheltered homeless population, 321 deaths per 100,000 people, a staggering 61 percent higher.
Joseph Loonam, a Vocal-NY advocate for NYC’s homeless population, responded once more to the growth of the homeless population during the pandemic, this time stating the reason why the number is now so unknown.
During last spring, the mortality rate in shelters rose to overwhelming heights. Due to the mortality rate, the streets become more appealing for thousands of the homeless population. Now, as we approach winter, we are seeing the same trend. Loonam states, “This is the season where the numbers should be going up across the board, cause it’s too cold to stay outside, but I think a lot of that is not happening because of fear of the virus.”
This creates more concern for the already established issue of counting those who are homeless and figuring out the increase in such. Loonam explains that the DHS shelter system is the main source of information regarding the number of homeless people in New York City. This is due to the city being a “right to shelter city”, where all who desire to be in the shelter can. Loonam states that many would state that the 65,000 people registered in the DHS shelter system comprise New York City’s homeless population, however as an advocate he estimates another 10 thousand people on the streets.
Loonam highlights another problem with the counting system, which is that the homeless population is only counted once a year in February, ironically 1 month before the city went into pandemic lockdown. So, estimation is the best tool we have in calculating the rise in the homeless population for the next 3 months.
Loonam expresses his anger in the problems within the counting system, as it doesn’t do the homeless crisis justice. “…the 65k is bullshit. It’s like asking how many people are sick, and the number you get is the folks already getting treatment.”
What further complicates understanding the homeless crisis is how we ourselves define homelessness. Loonam explains that we have to challenge our definition of homelessness to truly grasp the effects of the pandemic. Loonam asks the simple question, “Who is homeless?” More specifically, what qualifies as homelessness even if it is not the public perception of it?
Many don’t realize the extent to which homelessness is within New York City. Loonam states, “When the quality of life of a society improves overall, we change our definitions of destitution.” This also applies in reverse; when the quality of life of a society decreases overall, a reality of the pandemic, we are forced to change our definitions of destitution to encompass those who we previously disregarded.
Loonam points out less-known examples of homelessness existing before the pandemic. Illegally converted homes, for example, housed dozens per night in conditions worse than the ones at DHS shelters. And, three-quarter houses are examples as well; these houses, often serving as re-entry points into society after prison or abuse, commonly have little supervision and lack the services they are intended to provide.
Covid-19 proved disastrous for people living in these situations, as whether they were kicked out by landlords scared of being busted for illegal housing or due to safety precautions, many found themselves in what would be considered a “traditional” homeless scenario.
Consequently, individuals in shelters are at the highest rate ever recorded, due to the fact that the city’s eviction moratorium does not include illegal housing. On the other hand, families in shelters are at the lowest rate they have been due to the eviction moratorium in New York City.
Whether it be due to a lack of counting or the overarching question of who we identify as homeless, the extent to the homeless crisis in NYC, Loonam proclaims, is only starting to be exposed due to the pandemic, and will not be fully known to the public until the city takes action.
