Sophie Tanno — Daily Mail May 19, 2020

• Makeshift tent cities have sprung up in Washington D.C.’s parks and streets
• The coronavirus pandemic is compounding the city’s homelessness crisis 
• Concerns the streets could turn into potential contagion zones 

Close to 800,000 Americans across the country may wind up homeless by the summer as the pandemic creates unemployment levels not seen since the Great Depression. Click to enlarge

Tent cities are springing up around streets and parks in Washington D.C. amid concerns the coronavirus is making homeless people even more vulnerable.

Images show makeshift encampments such as these that have sprung up on sidewalks, parks and close to office buildings amid the pandemic.

The tents have sparked concerns that the streets could turn into potential contagion zones due to vulnerable people living outdoors and in close proximity to one another.

According to city data, 269 people in D.C. homeless shelters tested positive for Covid-19 as of May 13.

Coronavirus is also disproportionately causing fatalities among homeless people in the city. Fifteen people in D.C.’s homeless system have died from the virus.

Growing tent camps in Washington. Click to enlarge

Those deaths make up 4 percent of the city’s 368 coronavirus fatalities. Washington D.C. is thought to have around 9,800 homeless residents, a number which can fluctuate significantly.

Those without a roof over their head are left at even greater risk of contracting Covid-19, as they are unable to self-quarantine and do not have regular access to sanitation.

The increase in homelessness prompted the city’s Department of Human Services to install 17 handwashing stations near tent encampments in early April.

The erection of tent cities amid the pandemic isn’t exclusive to Washington D.C.

San Francisco opened its first sanctioned camp site that can house 50 homeless residents this week as locals complained of makeshift tents clogging sidewalks.

After years of struggling to support the homeless community in San Francisco, city officials erected a ‘Safe Sleeping Village’ in an idle McDonald’s parking lot near City Hall.

Meanwhile more than 100 tents and makeshift shelters line the streets of Portland’s Old Town, with sidewalks and entrances to shops blocked.

Portland residents and business owners say the homeless problem in the city has been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, which saw the city stop cleanup of camps and shelters.

An analysis conducted by Dr Brendan O’Flaherty, a professor of economics at Columbia University, shows that homelessness population in the U.S. is expected to increase some 40 to 45 per cent this year over January 2019.

Close to 800,000 Americans across the country may wind up homeless by the summer as the pandemic forces unemployment figures to resemble numbers not seen since the Great Depression.

This increase will see an addition of nearly 250,000 people out on American streets, according to the study, published by nonprofit Community Solutions.

More than four million homeowners across the US have skipped mortgage payments amid the coronavirus crisis.

Data from the Mortgage Bankers Association shows that 4.1 million homeowners are on forbearance mortgage relief plans.

Yet the rate of household requesting forbearance plans is decreasing, suggesting people’s financial situations are improving as areas of the country emerge from stringent coronavirus lockdown.

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