How DC is protecting and supporting those experiencing homelessness during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

As part of the Bowser Administration’s efforts to support vulnerable populations, the District has dramatically shifted how we serve those living outside, staying in shelters, and residing in supportive housing programs

As part of the Bowser Administration’s response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) Public Health Emergency, we as a community have fundamentally transformed how we protect and support our neighbors experiencing homelessness. To address disparities, Mayor Bowser released an Executive Order outlining measures to protect vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency.

Ensuring the safety of unsheltered residents

The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services (DMHHS), the Department of Human Services (DHS), and our outreach providers continue to conduct street outreach with a focus on essential health and safety efforts. Staff are prioritizing connections to medical care, sharing critical education materials, ensuring access to food and hygiene products.

In late March, we installed hand-washing locations consistent with guidance provided by the Centers for Disease Control. DMHHS also limited encampment clean ups to trash pickups only with the exception of emergencies.

Ensuring the safety of those residing in shelter

We know it is challenging to follow social distancing and preventative hygiene guidelines in a congregate setting. Starting in mid-March, DHS partnered with The Community Partnership to End Homelessness, Catholic Charities, and other shelter providers to modify operations across all emergency shelters:

• Keeping shelters open 24-hours and providing 3 meals a day to reduce the need for transportation and offsite day services;
• Maintaining shelter assignments so that clients stay in the same bed in the same shelter each night;
• Implementing “grab and go” boxed meals in place of communal dining;
• Instituting deep cleaning protocols and bolstering sanitation and hygiene supplies; and
• Implementing regular health screening procedures to ensure clients presenting with symptoms are connected to medical care and, as needed, remote quarantine.

Several strategies have also been implemented to “de-densify” or reduce the number of people in each shelter, including providing hotel rooms for individuals who require isolation or quarantine. We report data on these efforts daily at https://coronavirus.dc.gov/page/human-services-agency-covid-19-case-data.

In addition, DHS and the Interagency Council on Homelessness have partnered with Unity Healthcare to open a facility with private rooms and bathrooms for residents in shelter or are unsheltered, and whose risk factors make them especially vulnerable to COVID-19. Transfer to a facility that allows for full social distancing is based on a referral from a medical provider who considers risk factors such as age and pre-existing conditions such as severe lung disease or uncontrolled diabetes. This program opened on March 30 and is currently supporting over 100 medically vulnerable residents. Unity physicians continue to visit each adult low-barrier shelter to assess clients, and street outreach providers may request a medical evaluation of unsheltered clients.

Our community continues to look at guidance from DC Health and federal partners, as well as practices from other jurisdictions, to prioritize actions that will have the greatest likelihood of protecting the greatest number of people.

Meeting the needs of families and youth during the COVID-19 public health emergency

In DC, families residing in emergency shelter have their own rooms but often share bathroom facilities. Subsequently, precautions have been taken to facilitate social distancing, move to grab and go meals, and prevent movement with the facility or across the city. DHS has also been working with DC Public Schools to ensure students have their distance learning materials, and have enhanced wireless internet at sites where connectivity was lacking. Families experiencing a housing emergency may call the Shelter Hotline at 202–399–7093 to be connected to staff at the Virginia Williams Family Resource Center conducting interviews by phone.

The team can place families in shelter or connect them to the Homelessness Prevention Program, and we have adjusted our processes so that families will not need to gather documents that would require an in-person trip. For youth experiencing housing instability, aside from the precautions being taken in shelters, the District is running two Drop in Centers to serve youth 18–24 years old: Zoe’s Doors and Sasha Bruce. We have implemented social distancing practices at these sites and added services such as laundry facilities.

Next Steps

Looking ahead, the Bowser Administration and DHS will continue to work with our federal partners to leverage funding from the recent federal relief laws to help residents maintain existing housing and/or find new housing. We are working with the DC Housing Authority and providers to establish virtual processes to safely lease up households who have been matched to supportive housing programs. We are deeply indebted to our incredible staff, provider network, and partners who are leaning in to meet this tremendous need. To learn more about volunteer or donation opportunities, please visit our central portal for homeless services during this pandemic: https://dhs.dc.gov/page/resources-homeless-service-providers

For up-to-date information on the District’s Coronavirus response please visit https://coronavirus.dc.gov. For inquiries related to the DHS COVID-19 response, please contact dhs.covid19@dc.gov.

About the author
Laura Zeilinger is the Director of the District of Columbia Department of Human Services.