This is Michaela. She is a psychiatrist.
“I work with people who experience homelessness, and right now our system is not set up in a way to support them through this pandemic.
People used to be able to sit in a cafe or go to a library or a drop in – many of these spaces have shut down for good public health reasons.
At the same time, that leaves people experiencing homelessness with almost nowhere they can go.
I also work with a lot of folks who are living in shelters and in respite. They do not have the opportunity to physically distance. I’d like to see an ongoing emphasis and opportunity for people to secure permanent housing so that they’re never in a situation like this again.
What’s really kept me going are my colleagues – who are putting everything they’ve got into fighting for the survival of the people we work with, while not forgetting their dignity and rights.
We’re all in this together. There are endless ways in which we can support each other and foster a sense of community that will get us through this. Let’s also ensure that the people who are most vulnerable are not forgotten, and are in fact are prioritized in terms of the systemic shifts that have to happen to protect their lives.”
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