WPRI 12: 'Stay home': COVID-19 advice doesn't work for RI's homeless population
by: Eli Sherman
Posted: Mar 16, 2020 / 08:32 PM EDT
/ Updated: Mar 16, 2020 / 09:02 PM EDT
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - The mantra repeated daily among state leaders, public health officials, school administrators and employers is simple: “If you're sick, stay home.”
The advice, designed to promote social distancing, is supposed to help stem the spread of the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19, a disease that's killed more than 6,500 people worldwide. But it won't resonate for one of the most vulnerable segments of Rhode Island's population.
“There are some people who might hear that and think, 'OK, but I don't have a home,'” said Karen Santilli, president and CEO of Crossroads Rhode Island.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates there are about 1,055 people experiencing homelessness in Rhode Island. And while there are varying degrees of homelessness - ranging from temporarily losing a place to live to not having stable housing for more than a year - there's a growing sense of uneasiness among Rhode Islanders living in shelters and those who serve them.
Follow Us
Twitter
Facebook