Key takeaways

  • The spread of the Coronavirus Pandemic has led to a new government focus on vulnerable groups.
  • While some governments have acted fast to house the homeless, others struggle, particularly in the global south.
  • Action that has been taken could give a new sense of what is possible.

The spread of the coronavirus is changing far more than our lives: it’s changing societies across the globe, causing governments to tear up long-established norms and rewrite policy on the hoof. We’ve seen right-wing governments across the globe nationalise healthcare and transport networks, while countless other countries introduce something equivalent to a universal basic income.

Implicit in all those changes is a shift in perception towards vulnerable groups in society. Often overlooked and undermined, they’re now the focus of attention as one of the most vulnerable groups to COVID-19, the disease that is caused by the coronavirus.

It’s taken a pandemic to see what’s possible, and to see that really swift and comprehensive action is possible from government

“Those who are most disadvantaged suffer most from poor health,” says a 2017 report by the Forum of International Respiratory Societies, an investigatory group corralled by the World Health Organisation. Respiratory illnesses such as COPD and asthma disproportionately affect the poor, and those with underlying respiratory problems are most likely to suffer worst from COVID-19.

Government action

Governments are recognising that. In March, the UK’s Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government asked local councils to “urgently” find accommodation for people experiencing homelessness, in order to shield them from the biggest issues around the coronavirus.

“The extraordinary thing is it’s taken a pandemic to see what’s possible, and to see that really swift and comprehensive action is possible from government,” said Matt Downie, of British homelessness charity Crisis.

“We’ve wanted for years for there to be that sense of emergency put into how people who are homeless on the streets and in other forms of accommodation like night shelters are treated.”

The UK government’s moves are something, but not enough, reckons Changing Lives, a UK-based charity that works with people experiencing multiple disadvantages through coronavirus.

“While social housing providers are understandably making stock available for hospital discharge, there remains a lack of accommodation for people who are currently homeless,” they wrote in a position paper.

Further issues can be found for women experiencing homelessness, who are often compelled to exchange sex for food or a place to sleep.

The coronavirus is also an issue for the population that lives in slum (or inadequate) housing

“Of course housing people to provide space for them to self-isolate or social distance is incredibly important, but it’s not just homeless people who are incredibly vulnerable right now,” said Angelika Strohmayer, lecturer in design at Northumbria University, who has carried out projects with a number of third-sector organisations across the world to try and support the most vulnerable populations.

“The anxieties many of us experience by the ongoing pandemic may be exacerbated for people with existing mental health concerns."

“I know charities are trying very hard to stay connected with those they support, but we have to find creative ways of staying connected with those who are most marginalised and those who are part of the 7% of UK without an internet connection,” she added.

However, not every government has the same impetus. In the United States, state-by-state differences in rules mean it’s a crapshoot whether society’s most vulnerable will find support when they need it most.

California struggled to decide how to handle the risk to its homeless population from coronavirus. The state governor, Gavin Newsom, threw tens of millions of dollars to lease out hotels and motels, but action is slow.

The situation is not just a problem for those experiencing homelessness. It’s also an issue for the 30% of the world’s population that lives in slum (or inadequate) housing, according to the World Bank.

There’s a possibility here for a complete shift in thinking — of how you treat everyone as equals

India’s mass lockdown may well turn out to be a key action to slow the spread of the virus there, though once the virus takes hold, the rates of transmission are likely to be significant and speedy, given the challenges people living in tightly-packed communities, in houses they share with many others, would have in carrying out effective social distancing.

And in Brazil, the problem is potentially more acute. President Jair Bolsonaro steadfastly refused to enact policy changes that would protect the one in 20 Brazilians who live in favelas, or shanty towns. As a result, it seems likely that the more informal communities that are more prevalent in the global south will struggle the most with the coronavirus.

The aftermath of the coronavirus may, then, cause a geographical split between the global north — which has acted quickly to overhaul policies towards society’s most vulnerable — and the global south, which hasn’t, because of inability or wilful inaction.

“The responses from some governments to this pandemic, whether you like them or not, have been huge,” said Strohmayer. That’s something Crisis’s Downie agrees with. “There’s a possibility here for a complete shift in thinking of how you treat everyone as equals,” he said.

“What we seem to have learnt is that it is possible to think about things like universal income, to quickly find spaces to house the homeless, or to build hospitals and staff them within days or weeks,” added Strohmayer.

“Hopefully some of the positive changes to social safety nets that have been put in place recently and the learning from our community-responses to support our neighbours, will remain.” — Chris Stokel-Walker

Further reading:

The Global Impact of Respiratory Disease (FIRS report)

(Picture credit: Unsplash)