{"id":16474,"date":"2021-03-19T09:00:57","date_gmt":"2021-03-19T13:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=16474"},"modified":"2022-10-09T06:30:40","modified_gmt":"2022-10-09T10:30:40","slug":"now-is-the-optimal-time-to-buy-hotels-to-house-individuals-experiencing-homelessness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/now-is-the-optimal-time-to-buy-hotels-to-house-individuals-experiencing-homelessness\/","title":{"rendered":"Now Is the Optimal Time to Buy Hotels to House Individuals Experiencing Homelessness"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Wuhan, China, December 31, 2019<\/h4>\n

Word of a new, unidentified virus started here. The origins of the virus now known as COVID-19 are foggy. Was it somewhere else before it reached China? Did it sweep the globe undetected for years? We may never have the answer to this. What is clear is that following this initial detection, the virus spread rapidly, effectively killing about 1.7 million people and leaving fear and chaos in its wake.<\/p>\n

By the time the news of COVID-19 reached the United States of America, our nation was already dealing with a turbulent crisis- the affordable housing crisis, the aftereffect of which is rampant homelessness. All across the nation, people were being displaced due to wildfire, eviction, stagnant wages, and wealth inequality. Solutions to the problem were both inconsistent and sparse. With a shortage of more than 7 million affordable homes, the question of where to house our neighbors without walls was an unending one. It was the kind of question where every solution posed new problems and in turn, more questions.<\/p>\n

But then, something very unexpected occurred. In an effort to scale back the spread of infectious disease, the whole world was temporarily put on pause. Restaurants and movie theatres closed. Schools implemented virtual learning and travel became a luxury nobody could afford. It was the latter that created a unique atmosphere. Suddenly, as a result of the shutdown, there was an abundance of empty hotel rooms.<\/p>\n

Programs Like Project Turnkey Became a Lifeline for People Experiencing Homelessness and a Safety Net for all Americans<\/h3>\n

At the height of the pandemic, it was determined that the usual temporary fixes for homelessness like warming shelters, emergency shelters, and doubling up were inadequate in our new era of social distancing. One can say that, in terms of staving off the spread of infectious disease, these programs had always been inadequate. The emergence of a new threat simply served to highlight the holes in the flawed system. Whatever it was that caused this epiphany, the concept of housing homeless people in empty hotels swept the nation.<\/p>\n

These efforts helped stop the spread.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve certainly flattened the curve,\u201d remarked<\/a> California Gov. Gavin Newsom in an interview with US News<\/em> where he discussed the utilization of 16,000 hotel rooms for the mission of housing vulnerable and\/or infected members of the homeless community.<\/p>\n

As these programs continued for the better part of a year, it became apparent that housing people in hotel rooms did a whole lot more than just flattening the curve. This solution was turning out to be quite progressive as the first step toward housing individuals. Through these hotel programs, social services was able to effectively engage people by offering wrap-around-services that have the potential to transition into long-term housing options.<\/p>\n

In the end, housing homeless people in hotels was proving to be a better option than criminalization and temporary homeless shelters in terms of all the following aspects:<\/p>\n