Hey WRAP Community, With so much news flying around, it can be hard to keep track of all the varied and important things that people are doing to look out for each other. What remains clear is that everyone deserves a home, what seems clear is we know know more then ever that HOUSING IS A HUMAN RIGHT. 
Pressure is mounting in Denver, where Denver Homeless Out Loud has filed a lawsuit aiming to mandate that existing housing be opened because of the State of Emergency. In California, the governor and mayor have similar powers, and people are asking, WHERE ARE THE ROOMS?
While Cities across the country keep enforcing "SWEEPS" and "Move along Orders" we must keep figthing for the basic survival needs of people living in the streets.
Here are some updates from a few cities. 
Mandamus Filed to Mandate Housing Be Opened for Houseless | Denver, CO.
Demand Governor Polis Open Up HOUSING NOW!!
Yesterday we filed a Writ of Mandamus in court aiming to get the State of Colorado and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to do their job: Protect the people of Colorado in this health crisis by mandating existing empty housing be opened for Coloradans living in shelters and on streets.
Homeless individuals and homeless advocacy organizations across from the state of Colorado joined together as plaintiffs in this case, filed by attorney Jason Flores-Williams, because across Colorado cities are not opening housing needed to keep our communities safe. Opening new congregate shelters with more space, or putting those showing symptoms in hotels, does not stop the spread of this virus. Individualized housing is necessary. Everyone must have a home to be able to follow stay at home orders. 
Federal judge grills L.A. officials over coronavirus and homeless shelters 
“Two advocacy groups that have moved to intervene in the suit, the Los Angeles Community Action Network and Los Angeles Catholic Worker, said they were concerned that the L.A. Alliance was trying to undermine a settlement that protected the personal property rights of homeless people on skid row. They also argued that it was “unimaginable” that the case could proceed without groups that represent homeless people”
DIY Handwashing Stations Campaign by Los Angeles Community Action Network 
We are testing several designs to see what works best. Send us your ideas for improvements or new concepts! We believe that Community-Centered Design is key. When the City of LA dropped off a few handwashing stations in Skid Row, these dried up quickly and become useless. By contrast, we favor a bottom-up approach. We place our handwashing stations with community residents on the streets who can tend to them and let us know when they need to be refilled or fixed. They are supported by housed neighbors who have access to running water and can help refill the buckets. 
Sacramento Homeless Organizing Committee Update 
After a long and nervously anticipated civic response to the pandemic, Sacramento Homelessness COVID-19 Response Team, made up of the County of Sacramento, the City of Sacramento, Sacramento Steps Forward and SHRA, announced their goal to serve 1,800 COVID-19 impacted individuals or families experiencing homelessness. They are currently in the process of adding 200 beds to existing shelter programs using CDC shelter guidance; making available 200 motel rooms with the services in the near-term, with a goal of 800 rooms; SHRA is making available 200 Housing Choice Vouchers for homeless families; and 63 trailers will be delivered to Cal Expo. Mayor Breed Opts for Mass Indoor Camps |
San Francisco, CA. 
A look inside the new Moscone Center congregate “Shelter”
While hundreds of advocates have been desperately contacting Mayor London Breed imploring her to place homeless people in hotel rooms and vacant units, it seems she has her own plan for addressing poverty during the pandemic: opening indoor camps to further concentrate vulnerable people. The Moscone Center in downtown San Francisco opened its doors on Thursday and already has dozens of people sleeping inside.
But these beds are not available to anyone currently sleeping outside. Instead, homeless San Franciscans will be moved out of smaller local shelters and into these massive congregate shelters, where hundreds of people, the majority of whom already have disabilities or chronic illnesses, will sleep on mats on the floor exactly six feet from each other.
Right now there are 390 mats in the Moscone Center that they plan to fill with homeless people. An inside source who asked to remain anonymous reported that there are currently no hand-washing stations, bathrooms facilities are shared and limited, staff don’t have Narcan and there are no sharps containers. Folks coming in are not allowed to bring any property with them and are told they must leave all their belongings at their shelters. Mats on the floor are sectioned off with masking tape.
After Street Sheet broke this story, The City has downsized the congregate Moscone Center to 200 beds. The City claims it will put people in hotels, however, only 150 people have been placed since the shelter-in-place order, while the Hotel Council has offered more than 10,000 hotel rooms. People who they’re willing to offer rooms must be over 60 or have underlying health conditions. 
SF Mayor Breed says city must prioritize who can access hotel rooms 
The Coalition on Homelessness participated in a “raucous ‘car blockade’ protest” outside Moscone Center, where the mayor held a press conference where she refused to provide hotel rooms to houseless people in San Francisco. 
Homeless Youth Alliance's Shelter in Place Poll | San Francisco, CA. 
#HomelessCantStayHome - NYC must take emergency measures to combat COVID-19 by offering every homeless person a safe home now!
 https://www.homelesscantstayhome.org/
House keys Not Sweeps Campaign Video#stopthesweeps
People often live in communities or “encampments” for their safety and well being. Belongings and community are necessary for survival, but private and public agencies have deemed both these things illegal and are aggressively and violently policing, sweeping, harassing and attacking our houseless neighbors. They are evicted from their encampments and their life preserving belongings are repeatedly stolen. 
|
