As lockdowns and social distancing measures have been put into place, people hunkered down to weather the coronavirus spread that has been sweeping not just the entire country but the whole world.
But while those who have homes hunker in relative safety and comfort, the plight of the homeless is another matter.
A few local governments and charitable organizations have set up premises where the homeless can find shelter amid the lockdown but in Las Vegas, the homeless have been forced to use a vacant parking lot and were made to sleep on bare concrete only a few feet from each other. This was after a resident at their shelter caught the coronavirus.
Last week at the Catholic Charities’ homeless shelter, a homeless man tested positive for Covid-19. This forced the shelter to close and left 500 people without a place to stay.
The City of Las Vegas decided to use the Cashman Center parking lot to house those displaced people.
But the conditions are shocking. One section had a thin layer of carpet but another was bare concrete. And because the homeless were sleeping inside painted boxes that were practically beside each other, it violated the CDC guidelines on social distancing.
Nevada has tallied 920 confirmed cases and 15 deaths, with more than 142,000 cases in the US with 2,509 deaths. Las Vegas became a ghost down with the casinos closing down and showbiz acts canceled.
Clark County Commissioner Justin Jones said in a statement: “We’re proud to be working in collaboration with the city to meet the needs of our homeless population and appreciate the quick response of the participants in standing up the facility so soon.”
The facility, which is fully open-air, will take in homeless people from 6 pm to 8 am. The facility will be in operation until April 3 at the earliest or whenever the Catholic Charities shelter re-opens.
As city authorities set up the temporary shelter, volunteer medical students and physician assistant students from Touro University showed up.
County Commissioner Justin Jones told Fox: “We’re planning for seven days, but certainly that’s really dependent on how quickly Catholic Charities gets reopened and how quickly the other facility is open.”
Mayor Carolyn Goodman told the Reno Gazette-Journal: “The city wants to make this site available because we know the obligation we have to help ease the overflow of the Homeless Courtyard.”
Among those who helped with the provisions for the homeless were GES Exposition Services, the Teamsters, and Freeman’s Carpet Service.
“We’ve had Republic Services donating trash resources, Touro University med students will be over here doing the screening, so we’ve really seen the community come together,” Jones told Fox.
“All the government agencies and other folks to make sure that we serve our homeless population.”
Replaced!