Friday, 10:30AM – 12:00PM Pacific Time
Presenters: Diane Yental, Sue Pechilio Polis, Gregory Miao, Bobby Watts
Many Americans struggle to maintain a safe and healthy place to live. People who are housing insecure or experience homelessness typically have poorer physical and mental health outcomes and are at greater risk for infection during the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to other challenges.
In response, solutions such as providing short-term housing arrangements for newly released low-level criminal justice offenders to rental assistance and freezes on evictions have been put in place to reduce the risk of exposure among vulnerable populations during the pandemic. However, these short-term solutions won’t be enough. Also required are sustainable long-term programs that equitably improve opportunities for individuals to live in safe and affordable housing.
This Web Forum will highlight the disproportionate and long-existing economic and health disparities among people who are housing insecure or experience homelessness. The Web Forum will also highlight what is currently being done to protect this population during the COVID-19 pandemic, and identify the long-term policy, system, and environmental changes that are needed to advance health equity by effectively addressing housing insecurity and homelessness.
