Coronavirus Questions Answered: Shelter For The Ill And Homeless

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Robert Apgar from Cincinnati asked whether there is a Cleveland-based homeless shelter focused on serving those who have tested positive for COVID-19, like the one he's heard about in Cincinnati.

There isn’t a shelter like that in Cleveland right now, according to Molly Martin with the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, but advocates and local officials are working with healthcare providers to find a solution for keeping people experiencing homelessness isolated and safe.

“They are working on a plan to designate hotel rooms that hospitals would fund for people who are testing positive who are homeless but aren’t sick enough to be hospitalized,” Martin said.

That plan hasn’t been finalized or approved yet and discussions are ongoing.

In the meantime, a $70,000 grant awarded to NEOCH Friday from the Cleveland Foundation’s new  Greater Cleveland COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund will cover hotel costs for about 50 people experiencing homelessness who are particularly vulnerable to the virus. 

Shelters in the Cleveland area report they are screening the people coming in for symptoms, and anyone who shows signs of COVID-19 will be directed to seek medical assistance.