PASCO COUNTY, Fla. -- Across Tampa Bay, agencies that work to help the homeless are being impacted by coronavirus concerns.
- Coalition for the Homeless of Pasco County suspends outreach services
- Mid Florida Homeless Coalition seeing drop-in and resource centers limit services
- Florida Coalition to End Homelessness not aware of any homeless individual being impacted by coronavirus
"It really became necessary, to protect the staff, to suspend operations," said Don Anderson, CEO of the Coalition for the Homeless of Pasco County.
Anderson said two employees have respiratory conditions and one is pregnant.
"The other thing we have to consider is all of us have contact with family members, and in particular, those who are elderly," Anderson said.
Anyone who came to the coalition's New Port Richey headquarters on March 17 found the door locked and a sign telling them that shower services are suspended until the end of the month. Other basic needs met at the coalition offices included providing those in need with clean clothes, toiletries, and meals ready to eat.
"We have a relationship with our clientele that we serve — the homeless and those at risk of homelessness. It's very unfortunate that we have to suspend services for a period of time," Anderson said.
Anderson said staff wash clothes and towels, as well as clean the showers with bleach after every use.
"Those things all come together to suggest it was too risky for us to continue the services," he said.
"We will be running out of supplies soon"
To the north, closures like the one in Pasco County are among the concerns for the Mid Florida Homeless Coalition.
"We have a lot of our drop-in centers and resource centers that our people who are experiencing homelessness typically use, they're starting to limit who can come in to take showers, having to take meals away with them because they can no longer congregate," said Cassie Fountain, lead path outreach worker with the coalition.
Fountain said the Mid Florida coalition is handing out hand sanitizer and wipes to clients in the area it covers in Hernando, Citrus, Lake, and Sumter Counties and preparing for what looks to be the next challenge.
"We will be running out of supplies soon," Fountain said of the cleaning and sanitizing products that have been disappearing from store shelves. "So, really partnering with our local agencies and figuring out how we can still keep those supplies going."
In Manatee County, Turning Points Executive Director Adell Erozer said her organization relies heavily on volunteers, and their numbers have shrunk because of COVID-19 concerns. Erozer said as a result, Turning Points has had to limit the number of services it offers, including medical and dental services.
She said the agency is working to develop a protocol for digital case management.
Leeanne Sacino, executive director of the Florida Coalition to End Homelessness, said she's not aware of any homeless individual who's impacted yet. However, she said because there's a large number of people in the homeless community who are older than 55 years old and have severe medical issues — specifically those who are unsheltered and those who are in permanent supportive housing — an eventual impact is expected.
Sacino said the coalition is coordinating with the office on homelessness and emergency management officials to discuss updated plans to serve the community. She noted testing is going to be key, and officials won't know if there's a problem in the community until there are enough tests to determine how many are affected.