Stay-at-home orders take on a whole new meaning when you have no home. The Howard Center for Investigative Journalism explores the pandemic’s impact on America’s homeless population.


COVID-19 is a ‘crisis within a crisis’ for homeless people

August 24, 2020

More than 200 homeless people are known to have died so far in the COVID-19 pandemic, yet they remain largely invisible victims. Across the country, communities have struggled to protect their homeless residents.

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Homeless in 43 counties most vulnerable to COVID-19

August 24, 2020

Analyzing multiple data sets, the Howard Center calculated a vulnerability index for which counties in the U.S. would likely struggle in a COVID-19 outbreak among their homeless populations.

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Voices of the homeless

August 24, 2020

Homeless people from across the United States speak about their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Months later, communities still await federal homeless aid

August 25, 2020

Four months after the CARES Act was passed, less than one-third (29%) of the $4 billion Congress allocated for homeless programs has actually made its way to local communities.

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COVID’s impact on the homeless is largely unknown

August 25, 2020

No one knows how many homeless people have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, not even the nation’s homelessness czar. One man in New York City describes his pandemic plight.

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Homeless workers face heightened risks in the pandemic

August 26, 2020

Many homeless people work, mostly in front-line, low-wage jobs, experts say, making them both potential victims and possibly unwitting vectors of COVID-19.

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Homeless people in rural America struggle to find help

August 27, 2020

Rural homeless people, especially students, are among the least visible of an already largely invisible group of victims and have less access to health care.

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COVID-19 homeless work-arounds turn into silver linings

August 28, 2020

Some of the work-arounds to care for the homeless during the pandemic have turned into silver linings and may impact future programs and funding.

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Ashley’s audio diary

August 28, 2020

Ashley Belcher lived on the streets of New York City for six years before moving into a hotel in late April as a pandemic safety precaution. In an audio diary, she describes how her life has changed.

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Credits

Reporters Nino Abdaladze, Molly Bohannon, Austin Fast, Jamie Fields, Sanjana Garg, Megan Lupo, Katie Surma

Data visualization Austin Fast

Art Alex Lancial

Editors Maud Beelman, Lauren Mucciolo

Special thanks to Gregg Leslie, executive director of the First Amendment Clinic at ASU’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law.