This guidance is developed to help communities limit the spread and impact of COVID-19 affecting people experiencing homelessness.
The Coalition for the Homeless as lead agency to The Way Home Continuum of Care (CoC) is working with local governmental entities to coordinate responses and share best practices as they relate to people and families experiencing homelessness and the Coronavirus.
The City of Houston, Harris County, and the Coalition for the Homeless announced a joint, $65-million plan to house 5,000 people experiencing homelessness over the next two years to limit the spread of COVID-19. The Community-wide COVID-19 Housing Program (CCHP) represents an unprecedented coordinated effort on the part of the City and the County to address homelessness in the region.
The Coalition encourages those looking for volunteer opportunities to explore Volunteer Houston. Please click here to view the Volunteer Houston homepage and find the perfect volunteer opportunity for you! Click here to view the Coalition specific volunteer page with Volunteer Houston!
The Coalition for the Homeless believes that homelessness is solvable. When you donate to the Coalition you can be sure that your support will have a direct, positive impact on solving homelessness in Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery counties.
For every $1 you donate to the Coalition, we bring an additional $26 in public funding into the community to implement nationally-recognized programs with a proven success rate.
Click here to donate today and help us solve homelessness in our community!
Guidance updated Jan. 2022
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) has released "The Omicron Variant of COVID-19: What Homeless Service Providers Need to Know." This new guidance was developed to help communities to limit the spread and impact of this rapidly-spreading variant of COVID-19 affecting people experiencing homelessness.
Notably, unlike the 5-day isolation and quarantine that the CDC recommends for the general population, the CDC still recommends a 10-day isolation and quarantine for people experiencing homelessness—regardless of vaccination status. To explore shortened quarantine periods for staff during critical staffing shortages and/or for individual client circumstances, USICH recommends consulting with state, local, and/or tribal health departments.
Additional Information
Quarantine & Isolation Facility Update - Jan. 2022
Harris County and the City of Houston have partnered to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by offering temporary hotel rooms for people in Harris County who are unable to quarantine or isolate safely.
The Isolation and Recovery Center (IRC) and Homeless Medical Isolation and Recovery Center (HMIRC) are funded through Harris County and the City of Houston. During the quarantine or isolation period, temporary hotel rooms are available on a case by case basis. These hotel rooms are shelters of last resort when routine hospital case management protocols are exhausted.
Click the button below for more information about the COVID-19 Hotel Program, including information about the referral process for people experiencing homelessness and contact numbers for each quarantine and isolation facility.
Please note: The phone number to the IRC intake line has been changed to (713)851-2033 (This update may not yet reflect on the website).
Please use the tabs below to find the recommended guidance and best practices for you and your organization. Here you can find a variety of websites, webinars, and presentation slides with information, guidance, and best practices regarding homelessness and COVID-19. If you do not see the information you're looking for, please visit the FAQ section below.
Please view the materials below to view common questions and concerns Dr. Persse addressed in the Q&A held Mon. Feb. 8, 2021:
General COVID-19 Guidance/Information:
Geographic-Specific Guidance/Information:
1. Homelessness & COVID 19, Discussion with Dr. David Persse, City of Houston Public Health Authority
2. NAEH COVID-19 Webinar Series
3. Lessons Learned from Seattle & King County:
4. California's Project Roomkey: Maximizing Funding for Non-Congregate Shelter Opportunities
Funeral Assistance: Under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, FEMA is providing financial assistance for COVID-19 related funeral expenses incurred on or after January 20, 2020.
View the category below to view frequently asked questions asked in our community regarding homelessness and the COVID-19 virus.
Don't see the answer to your question? Please email Caybryn Southern, at csouthern@homelesshouston.org.
1. How does COVID-19 impact people experiencing homelessness?
2. Have there been any confirmed cases of COVID-19 among people experiencing homelessness in our area?
3. What is being done to help people experiencing homelessness during COVID?
4. What testing is being done for the homeless population?
5. What is our ability to house people?
6. What barriers has The Way Home Continuum of Care (CoC) encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic?
7. What is standard protocol for frontline staff when interacting out in the field and with clients to prevent the spread of COVID?
1. What is being done to reduce transmission of COVID-19 among the unsheltered population (e.g., those living in encampments) and meet their basic needs?
2. What plans are in place to test unsheltered people?
3. What is standard protocol when interacting out in the field and with clients?
4. What is being done to manage the various encampment locations?
5. What are the recommendations for client intake /assessments?
1. What are the recommendations for case managers to conduct business with their clients?
2. What are the barriers to permanently housing people experiencing homelessness during COVID?
3. Are clients currently being housed through PSH?
1. Where can I find information on the next round of rental assistance?
2. Rental Assistance Program Flyer
1. What plans are in place to provide care and treatment to people experiencing homelessness who are suspected or confirmed positive for COVID-19?
2. Where can clients get tested?
3. What is being done out in the community to reduce the spread of COVID-19?
1. Where can clients go to receive food during this time?
2. Where can clients go to shower and wash their clothes during this time?
1. Is match required for new CARES ESG dollars?
2. I receive ESG funding and have questions about eviction suspension during COVID-19.
3. I receive ESG funding and have questions about habitability inspections during COVID-19.
4. I receive ESG funding and have questions about ESG policies, ESG eligible costs and COVID-19.
5. Can I use CoC funding for the COVID-19 preparedness and response?
HUD’s Office of Community Planning and Development issued emergency regulatory waivers to the ESG, CoC and CON Plan requirements in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The following are the list of waivers:
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Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County