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Shelter - US

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This working group is focused on discussions about shelter.

The mission of this working group is to focus on discussions about shelter.

Members

John Girard Kathy Gilbeaux Maeryn Obley mdmcdonald

Email address for group

shelter-us@m.resiliencesystem.org

Trying to Vaccinate Homeless Patients Against COVID-19

... People experiencing homelessness are especially vulnerable to disease and often live in close quarters. Reaching them for COVID-19 vaccination is crucial, public health officials say, yet also presents some unique challenges. Addresses and phone numbers change constantly. Few of the people affected have reliable Internet access.

Also, the pandemic put a halt to many mobile clinics and other outreach efforts to homeless encampments; in the meantime, patients scattered or avoided the clinic for fear of infection.

"If they're experiencing homelessness, all bets are off," says Kevin Lindamood, CEO of Health Care for the Homeless in Baltimore, a community health clinic that treats 10,000 patients a year and recently started patient vaccinations. "It's incredibly hard to reach people even in non-COVID times."

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Surging virus, plummeting temperatures challenge shelters

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — After three years on the streets, Tiecha Vannoy and her boyfriend Chris Foss plan to weather the pandemic this winter in a small white “pod” with electricity, heat and enough room for two.

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Mental Health was Hurricane Harvey’s Greatest Toll, First of its Kind Registry Finds

           

Harris County Public Health Martha Marquez, from left, Mac McClendon and Dr. Umair A. Shah, talk with Hurricane Harvey victim Juan Cazares in the Aldine community Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018, in Houston. The assessments of became part of a recently released report.  Photo: Steve Gonzales, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

CLICK HERE - REPORT - Hurricane Harvey Registry - Initial Report - February 2019 (20 page .PDF report)

houstonchronicle.com - by Todd Ackerman - February 21, 2019

Hurricane Harvey’s greatest lingering toll was on Houstonians’ mental health, according to initial findings from a first-of-its-kind registry that surveyed people about the 2017 storm’s impact on their lives.

Nearly two-thirds of respondents to the registry, modeled on the one created in the aftermath of the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks, reported intrusive or unintended thoughts about the hurricane and its resulting flooding. That was a higher rate than physical symptoms reported by respondents.

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California Wildfires Are A Bigger Public Health Nightmare Than Anyone Imagined

           

East Avenue Church Shelter in Chico, California, where norovirus has spread and makeshift quarantine barriers have been erected.  Photo: Cayce Clifford

Even people nearly 200 miles from the flames are suffering the consequences of the massive Camp fire.

huffingtonpost.com - by Antonia Blumberg and Lydia O’Connor - November 16, 2018

Skies so hazy that the Golden Gate Bridge looks like a shadow of itself. A fire so devastating that hundreds of people remain unaccounted for. Air so polluted that people without safety masks are trapped inside. A quarantine set up by the National Guard to limit the spread of a dangerous virus.

This is not the climactic scene of an apocalyptic horror movie, set far in the future. This is California in 2018.

(CLICK HERE - READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

 

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Motel Misery: Hundreds Fled Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico Only to End Up Functionally Homeless in Florida

           

cnn.com - by John D. Sutter - additional reporting by Cristian Arroyo - photograph by Jayme Gershen for CNN - April 20, 2018

With no running water, no power and no school for her kids, Carmen "Millie" Santiago fled Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria hit the Caribbean last fall. Like thousands of evacuees, she landed here in central Florida. And, like hundreds, she's still stuck in a motel.

(CLICK HERE - READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

 

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L.A. to Declare 'State of Emergency' on Homelessness, Commit $100 Million

      

Annie Moody adjusts belongings next to her tent on Towne Avenue at 6th Street in Los Angeles. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

latimes.com - by Peter Jamison, David Zahniser and Matt Hamilton - September 22, 2015

Los Angeles elected leaders announced Tuesday that they will declare a “state of emergency” on the growing homelessness problem in the city and commit $100 million toward housing and other services for homeless people.

The proposal, which was presented at a City Hall press conference attended by City Council members and Mayor Eric Garcetti, coincides with a Garcetti administration proposal, issued late Monday, that aims to free up nearly $13 million in newly anticipated excess tax revenue for short-term housing initiatives.

If approved, the pair of initiatives could significantly increase the resources dedicated to tackling homelessness in a city where the majority of the 26,000 homeless people live on the streets.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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Hexayurt Shelter

(originally posted November 10, 2012)

A hexayurt is a shelter designed for people with a small housing budget.

The Hexayurt can be made from about $300 of materials from Home Depot, plus about $100-150 of mail-ordered tape. Depending on the construction technique, it takes 4-8 hours to prepare at home and 1-4 hours of assembly at your destination.

Here are the specifics on the 8 ft. version (aka H12) . . .

http://www.appropedia.org/Hexayurt_playa_checklist

From the 8' Hexayurt instructions, you can probably learn to make any other hexayurt design.  Here is a photo of  the 12 ft. version (aka H18) . . .

http://www.flickr.com/photos/agb/241075522/in/photostream/

Here is additional information on the Hexayurt shelter . . .

http://www.appropedia.org/Hexayurt_playa

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America's Homeless: The Rise of Tent City, USA

      

Homeless encampments known as "tent cities" are popping up across the country.

money.cnn.com - by Blake Ellis - May 16, 2014

Formed as an alternative to shelters and street-living, these makeshift communities are often set up off of highways, under bridges and in the woods. Some have "mayors" who determine the rules of the camp and who can and can't join, others are a free-for-all. Some are overflowing with trash, old food, human waste and drug paraphernalia, others are relatively clean and drug-free.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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Reaction Housing - Exo

submitted by Deirdre Darragh

         

http://www.reactionhousing.com/#inthemedia

The Exo Housing Unit

The Exos are base housing units that make up the foundation of the Reaction housing system. They provide private living and sleeping quarters for a family of four within a climate-controlled environment. An Exo is durable enough to be stored on a long-term basis and stacks for efficient storage and transportation. Electrical power is delivered via a connector line that powers each unit's lighting and four wall outlets. The Exo's design allows for numerous configurations to meet any need or deployment condition.

Setting Up the Exo

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