PHOENIX (AP) — Homeless people are among the most vulnerable populations in the COVID-19 pandemic, yet they’re largely invisible victims. Very little is known about how they’re faring.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which oversees homeless programs, has not required its national network of providers to gather infection or death data, even though homeless people, unlike other high-risk groups such as nursing home residents, interact more with the public.
The administration’s homelessness czar told Congress in July there had been just 130 homeless deaths. The Howard Center for Investigative Journalism tracked at least 206 nationwide by early August.
