With Labor Day weekend upon us, it is impossible not to look back on the summer of 2020 and say "what a summer!" While the wellness clinics remain closed, our work does indeed go on, and then some.
At Rosie's Place, the screening services we provide for guests have enabled women to safely visit the shelter to sit down and cool off, have a meal, and find respite from the loneliness and hardships of daily life. In the second quarter alone (April through June), we conducted 7,394 screenings. We saw over 600 women -- some old friends, and many new friends in need of assistance. They come from all over, many crowded into area shelters, and too many (20-25%) without even a bed to call their own for a night. While the test positivity rate has come down from its high of 33% during the surge, the homeless are still especially vulnerable to the coronavirus given the high prevalence of medical risk factors we see in the homeless population.
Fortunately, our Bridges programs provide a basis for us to continue to work with many women to keep them safe, monitor their health, and take steps to secure stable housing.