Homeless shelters and the blues

In this article, I analyze the emergence of New York City’s infrastructure of homeless shelters dialectically, relationally, and historically. The members of Boogie Down Productions met in an incipient New York City homeless shelter in the mid-1980s. Their relationship and music is a window into a critical political consciousness of men living in homeless shelters because the artists gave expression to an emergent structure of feeling of resistance taking hold during intense changes to New York’s political economy and its institutions. The paper first analyzes homeless policy and infrastructural change through a reading of archival sources and government reports and documents. The second section understands oral histories conducted with men living in a New York City homeless shelter as blues geographies—insurgent, critical explanations of these institutional spaces. Shelter residents actively challenge the material conditions, relations, and values that produce homeless shelters as essential instruments of the carceral state. I argue that they activate this resistance to the naturalization of shelters, and themselves as homeless, by narrating carceral spaces as abolitionist spaces.

Outbreak of COVID-19 among vaccinated and unvaccinated homeless shelter residents — Sonoma County, California, July 2021

In July 2021, the Sonoma County Health Department was alerted to three cases of COVID-19 among residents of a homeless shelter in Santa Rosa, California. Among 153 shelter residents, 83 (54%) were fully vaccinated; 71 (86%) vaccinated residents had received the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine and 12 (14%) received an mRNA (Pfizer BioNTech or Moderna) COVID-19 vaccine. Within 1 month, 116 shelter residents (76%) received positive SARS-CoV-2 test results, including 66 fully vaccinated residents and 50 not fully vaccinated. 9 fully vaccinated and 1 unvaccinated were hospitalized for COVID-19. All hospitalized cases had at least one underlying medical condition. Two deaths occurred, one in a vaccinated resident and one in a non-vaccinated resident. Specimens from 52 residents underwent whole genome sequencing; all were identified as SARS-CoV-2, Delta Variant AY.13 lineage. Additional mitigation measures are needed in medically vulnerable congregate setting where limited resources make individual quarantine and isolation not feasible.

Monitoring for COVID-19 by universal testing in a homeless shelter in Germany: a prospective feasibility cohort study

Background Living conditions in homeless shelters facilitate the transmission of COVID-19. Social determinants and pre-existing health conditions place homeless people at increased risk of severe disease. Described outbreaks in homeless shelters resulted in high proportions of infected residents and staff members. In addition to other infection prevention strategies, regular shelter-wide (universal) testing for COVID-19 may be valuable, depending on the level of community transmission and when resources permit. Methods This was a prospective feasibility cohort study to evaluate universal testing for COVID-19 at a homeless shelter with 106 beds in Berlin, Germany. Co-researchers were recruited from the shelter staff. A PCR analysis of saliva or self-collected nasal/oral swab was performed weekly over a period of 3 weeks in July 2020. Acceptability and implementation barriers were analyzed by process evaluation using mixed methods including evaluation sheets, focus group discussion and a structured questionnaire. Results Ninety-three out of 124 (75%) residents were approached to participate in the study. Fifty-one out of the 93 residents (54.8%) gave written informed consent; thus 41.1% (51 out of 124) of all residents were included in the study. Among these, high retention rates (88.9–93.6%) of a weekly respiratory specimen were reached, but repeated collection attempts, as well as assistance were required. Around 48 person-hours were necessary for the sample collection including the preparation of materials. A self-collected nasal/oral swab was considered easier and more hygienic to collect than a saliva specimen. No resident was tested positive by RT-PCR. Language barriers were the main reason for non-participation. Flexibility of sample collection schedules, the use of video and audio materials, and concise written information were the main recommendations of the co-researchers for future implementation. Conclusions Voluntary universal testing for COVID-19 is feasible in homeless shelters. Universal testing of high-risk facilities will require flexible approaches, considering the level of the community transmission, the available resources, and the local recommendations. Lack of human resources and laboratory capacity may be a major barrier for implementation of universal testing, requiring adapted approaches compared to standard individual testing. Assisted self-collection of specimens and barrier free communication may facilitate implementation in homeless shelters. Program planning must consider homeless people’s needs and life situation, and guarantee confidentiality and autonomy.

The Best Thresholds for Rapid Identification of Episodic and Chronic Homeless Shelter Use

This paper explores how to best identify clients for housing services based on their homeless shelter access patterns. We utilize the number of shelter stays and episodes of shelter use for a client within a specified time window. Thresholds are then applied to these values to determine if that individual is a good candidate for housing support. Using new housing referral impact metrics, we explore a range of threshold and time window values to determine which combination both maximizes impact and identifies good candidates for housing as soon as possible. New insights are also provided regarding the characteristics of the “under-the-radar” client group who are typically not identified for housing support.

Occupational exposures and mitigation strategies among homeless shelter workers at risk of COVID-19

Objective To describe the work environment and COVID-19 mitigation measures for homeless shelter workers and assess occupational risk factors for COVID-19. Methods Between June 9-August 10, 2020, we conducted a self-administered survey among homeless shelter workers in Washington, Massachusetts, Utah, Maryland, and Georgia. We calculated frequencies for work environment, personal protective equipment use, and SARS-CoV-2 testing history. We used generalized linear models to produce unadjusted prevalence ratios (PR) to assess risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results Of the 106 respondents, 43.4% reported frequent close contact with clients; 75% were worried about work-related SARS-CoV-2 infections; 15% reported testing positive. Close contact with clients was associated with testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 (PR 3.97, 95%CI 1.06, 14.93). Conclusions Homeless shelter workers may be at risk of being exposed to individuals with COVID-19 during the course of their work. Frequent close contact with clients was associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Protecting these critical essential workers by implementing mitigation measures and prioritizing for COVID-19 vaccination is imperative during the pandemic.