Protecting the Homeless from Covid-19 Pandemic

As published by Crain Chicago Business, by William J. Booker, July 17, 2020. 

In the wake of the coronavirus, the homeless are caught in the crosshairs of a pandemic with nowhere to turn. Although the covid-19 pandemic is a public health crisis, killing hundreds of thousands of people, homelessness in America has been a public health crisis for centuries. 

People living on the streets are more susceptible to covid-19 because of their weakened immune systems. This may be one reason why America is unable to bring the number of infected cases down. 

"All over the country staff in homeless shelters are testing positive for covid-19, and as more people become homeless due to job closures the number of infected cases will go up. Universal testing in shelters is crucial, as well as the right to housing during the covid-19 pandemic."

  

The government must simply do more to protect the homeless. Lucky, some states are starting to allocate millions to help mitigate the pandemic’s impact on the homeless and preventing people from losing their homes. Although Republican lawmakers want to spend trillions of taxpayer dollars on fighting covid-19, nothing in their package will be included for helping the homeless population who are on the frontline and have nowhere to go. 

President Trump's denial of science, and the expert advice from his own health officials is literally killing Americans. If protecting hospital's from lawsuits is more important than protecting the homeless from the coronavirus, where does any of us stand a chance in surviving this crisis, or any of the back-deals being made in Washington? 

It's obvious to me the swamp still needs to be drained. In short, "We the People" stands for all the people no matter who they are--or where they live.

Military Parade Forgot Vets

"As we celebrate America's independence this 4th of July, with a great military parade, not so much as a dime was spent on homeless veterans." 

Although Sen. Maxine Waters recently introduced Bill HR 1856, Ending Homeless Act 2019, president Trump saw fit to spend millions in tax payers dollars on a military parade that didn't do anything to help the hundreds of thousands of veterans who are homeless across the country.

If the parade wasn't being used as a political pawn, the Trump administration might have been able to use the celebration in a more meanful way by offering made-in-America sponsorship opportunities as a means to help homeless vets, or a donation hotline such as 1(800) USA-VETS.

It could have been a win-win across party lines. Showcasing not only America's strength--but truly the spirit of our nation.

:: FED UP ::

In the wake of the United States budget crisis, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, and President Trump's ongoing efforts to keep illegal immigrants out of the United States, and to build a wall that Mexico still refuses to pay for; Congress needs to pass the 2018 Farm Bill which will have a huge impact on farmers and over 45 million low-income Americans who currently depend on SNAP benefits to feed their families. 

The Farm Bill, passed every five years, provides millions of dollars in subsidies to farmers for things like home loans, access to improved broadband service, improved drinking water systems in rural areas, and provides grants for research at universities in fields of animal health, organic crop production and biotechnology. 

The Bill also funds conservation programs that help farmers improve air and water quality on farms which affects us all. The farm bill is detrimentally important for all Americans, and can have far reaching effects on the price of food across the country if it's not reauthorized by Congress and the President this year.  On the table for SNAP recipients, will be everything from imposing work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents; making it tougher for people to qualify for LINK, to limits on what people can buy with SNAP benefits like soda or other foods that are considered unhealthy. 

"The Farm Bill doesn't guarantee that the price of  fruits and vegetables won't go up because of Trump's immigration policy, but what it does guarantee is that feeding the poor and hungry will never be an issue for those who can afford to eat unhealthy foods like cheeses burgers on their multi-million dollar private jets, then have their doctor lie for them about their weight."   

Chicago Police Misconduct Hurts Homeless

Every time a police officer shoots and kills an unarmed person of color, the cost of racial injustice often results in multi-million dollar settlements with little or no accountability for many of the officers involved. More millionaires have been created as a result of official police misconduct, wrongful convictions, excessive-force cases and civil rights violations than any other time in American history. Yet, police officers involved in these cases are often cleared of all charges, regardless of public outrage.

The problem is that the criminal justice system has allowed the rights of black and brown men and women to be gradually trampled over by police officers at the expense of taxpayers and the loss of public-trust.

"Between 2012 and 2015, the city of Chicago paid $210 million in police misconduct-lawsuits, and over 23 million this year alone to help protect bad cops."

Though all the money Chicago has doled out, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and city officials have failed to contribute any significant funding to help the over 140,000 homeless men, women and children who remain out in the cold. It's time city officials reevaluates the way it spends taxpayers' money, and acknowledge that the police department's money-train is a liability the city of Chicago can no longer afford to keep running.