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. 2022 May;50(4):1816-1830.
doi: 10.1002/jcop.22609. Epub 2021 May 25.

The role of homelessness community based organizations during COVID-19

Cotina Lane Pixley  1 , Felicia A Henry  2 , Sarah E DeYoung  2 , Marc R Settembrino  3
Affiliations

The role of homelessness community based organizations during COVID-19

Cotina Lane Pixley et al. J Community Psychol. 2022 May.

Abstract

People experiencing homelessness are vulnerable to disasters and hazards and are at risk for contracting COVID-19. In this study, we gathered data from 10 community-based organizations (CBO's) in the United States that work to provide services for people experiencing homelessness. The combined CBO's span across rural, urban, and a mixture of both settings. We identified three needs that the CBO's indicated to be urgent: (1) the increased need for basic services among guests/clients, (2) new organizational challenges for the CBO's, and (3) issues related to emergency management and disasters. Among these urgent needs, respondents also indicated the need for emotional support for staff and volunteers experiencing burnout during the COVID-19 response. They also expressed some unique aspects of new care delivery systems, such as clients' willingness to engage in rehabilitation programs because of noncongregate sheltering options corresponding with those support services.

Keywords: COVID-19; community-based organizations; homelessness; housing; pandemic; sheltering.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there are no conflict of interests.

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