Social distancing is a luxury many can't afford. Vermont actually did something about it.

During 2020, the city of Cleveland reduced the rate of people experiencing homelessness by 30% due to provisions put in place to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. Using eviction moratoriums for those at risk of losing their homes, and hotels for those who were unhoused, the agencies responding to homelessness along with the city and county were able to better engage with the community's needs.

When Covid-19 began spreading throughout the United States, officials in Hawaii set up a quarantine facility for those experiencing homelessness that helped connect residents with other services to reduce their risk of contracting the virus. While it's too early to know if this could be a viable model for health care in the long run, the practice of temporary housing has currently helped curb the spread of the virus among the community's "unsheltered people."

In Boulder, Colorado those working to address the increasing rate of homelessness are reallocating resources to support longterm housing options as opposed to the traditional temporary services – such as shelters. Although there are challenges to this approach and it's too early to gauge the longterm reality of this approach, early results from the method have shown that consolidating resources has reduced operational costs while housing over 450 people.

Over 100 organizations in Chicago that focus on helping those who are experiencing homelessness are now working together to provide COVID-19 testing and increase housing capacity throughout the city. Although testing teams have been visiting shelters to administer COVID tests, new facilities have been created to increase bed capacity and those with underlying medical conditions have been provided individual hotel rooms, the enhanced resources aren't necessarily reaching everyone.

Health officials and Cleveland homeless shelters are working together to prevent a coronavirus outbreak among those who are experiencing homelessness. Mass testing, separate areas for the already tested and those yet to be, and a focus on more equitably disseminating information have been key to helping the caseload stay low, although the shelters are facing limitations such as a slow turnaround time for test results.

At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, public health officials in Flint, Michigan began tracking the demographics of those who were testing positive for the virus in order to better align the county's public health action and outreach. In doing so, officials realized that a lack of access to testing in predominately Black neighborhoods was a contributing factor and decided to launch mobile testing, barrier-free sites, and other interventions at the state level.

In Los Angeles, city officials are working to repurpose recreational buildings to house those experiencing homelessness, in the hopes of containing the spread of coronavirus. The city and shelters are also partnering with a mobile laundry truck, which has been in operation for years serving low-income communities and those who are experiencing homelessness, to provide free laundry for those who visit.

Casa de Noche Buena is a homeless shelter that takes a housing-first approach to providing services, which means almost anyone can find help there. Along with a place to sleep, the shelter also provides wraparound services such as medical attention and help finding employment. Several guests have had success finding permanent homes.

The Central Arizona Shelter Services, with help from the City of Phoenix and federal CARES Act COVID relief money, contracted a local hotel to turn 100 rooms into a shelter for the growing number of seniors experiencing homelessness. Known as Project Haven, the rooms help people remain socially distanced and restore people’s dignity. The success of the model brought in other partners, such as behavioral health services and on-site caseworkers to assist with job searches, family reunification, or rental assistance. In the first year, 70% of the 217 seniors it served found positive housing outcomes.

Prompted by the threat of COVID-19, Seattle and King County have rapidly taken steps to protect people experiencing homelessness with responses that activists have long sought. By moving hundreds of people out of crowded shelters into hotels, installing hygiene stations, and suspending the removal of encampments, officials scrambled to prevent the spread of the virus in ways that advocates hope will remain the policy after the crisis has passed. But the crisis has also gutted government budgets, and so permanent solutions may still be elusive.