Urgent help needed for the homeless

Millions of Americans could become homeless this winter. And the coronavirus has made it difficult to help.

Here’s the stark reality, millions of Americans could become homeless this winter. And the coronavirus has made it more difficult than ever to help.

PennLive reporters Ivey DeJesus and John Luciew said three factors are aligning to create a catastrophic situation here and across the country: millions of people are losing jobs, COVID-19 is still spreading, and landlords who haven’t been paid in months are ready to evict.

The federal moratorium on evictions is set to expire on Dec. 31. Unless Congress extends the moratorium, or local governments act as has the City of Harrisburg, thousands of people like Bobby Mitchell, 61, will have to pay their rent soon or move out – in the dead of winter. This is a looming disaster that should disturb all Americans.

Nationwide, an estimated 6.7 million people could lose their homes this winter. Many likely will turn to area homeless shelters for help. And there’s a real threat they could be turned away.

As DeJesus and Luciew report in a series of articles on PennLive, there just aren’t that many beds available in our region to offer to those without a place to sleep in December. COVID-19 has only worsened the situation as churches and other organizations have closed, and as fewer people are able to volunteer in a pandemic that has claimed more than 300,000 lives nationwide, with more than 13,000 of them in Pennsylvania.

Organizations such as Christian Churches United are hard at work making sure people who sleep under bridges are still connected to the outside world.

Darrel Reinford and Aisha Mobley, with Christian Churches United, are making sure people without homes who become sick in this pandemic can get treatment. They’re making sure people without homes can get a shower, make a phone call and have a place to get mail. And they’ll be helping them fill out and mail the federal forms to apply for stimulus checks we all hope will appear soon.

Reinford and Mobley likely will be overwhelmed by the sheer number of families who will be begging for help.

DeJesus says her reporting on this project has taught her one startling truth – there is no one face of homelessness. Anyone can find herself homeless and in need. Anyone can lose a job as well as healthcare and be kicked to the curb with their furniture.

Those of us with family and friends may have a cushion of protection for a while, and that is what is masking the real toll of COVID-19 and its shadow of job losses and suffering.

Thousands of people have moved back in with parents, shacked up with relatives or are sleeping on the sofa of friends. But, if truth be told, many of them are homeless.

Homelessness in the era of COVID-19 is a bigger social issue than just the people in the shelters and in tents under the bridges. And it’s likely to get bigger.

The good news is there are many organizations preparing for what they fear is a looming crisis. But they need community support. They need more help from corporations in our region – not just to write check, Reinford said, but to share expertise. So, if you can help these good folk turn a warehouse into a homeless shelter, they could use your help.

We join Christian Churches United and the Capital Region Coalition to End Homelessness in an urgent appeal to our entire community. They need donations now, during this bleak winter, to serve those who are most vulnerable to both the cold and COVID-19.

And we join them in asking businesses with resources and know-how to support their efforts to help people who are homeless this winter.

If you’re wondering what organizations to contact or how to reach out, DeJesus has compiled all the information you need. Check out her story now on PennLive and answer this most urgent appeal for help.

Nationwide, an estimated 6.7 million people could lose their homes this winter.