Homelessness, Children, and COVID-19: A Looming Crisis Catherine G. Coughlin, MD,a,b Megan Sandel, MD, MPH,c Amanda M. Stewart, MD, MPHd Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) created unprecedented changes in our society. Millions of people have been called to shelter in place (avoid nonessential travel outside of the home) and social distance (keeping space between yourself and others outside your home) to reduce the transmission of the novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19. However, these and other public health measures require a level of privilege: a home to live in, access to hygiene supplies, and control over your movements. dDivision of Emergency Medicine and aDepartment of Medicine, Boston c They require the ability to stay home from work, avoid public Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; and Division of General Academic Pediatrics and bDepartment of Pediatrics, Boston Medical transportation when travel is necessary, and stock up on items to reduce Center, Boston, Massachusetts trips to the store. Homeless and unstably housed people, including children, are not able to access these privileges, likely placing them at Dr Coughlin contributed to background research on the topic, conceptualized and drafted the initial manuscript, and higher risk of exposure to the novel coronavirus. In many ways, the ability reviewed and revised the manuscript; Drs. Stewart and to practice social distancing has become a social determinant of health Sandel contributed to background research on the topic and during this crisis. reviewed and revised the manuscript; and all authors approved the final manuscript as submitted and agree to be Homelessness is not just living in a shelter or on the street; people accountable for all aspects of the work. experiencing homelessness, especially children and families, are often DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-1408 couch surfing, “doubling up” with friends or relatives, or living in motels, Accepted for publication May 27, 2020 hotels, or campgrounds.1,2 Fifty-nine percent of people experiencing homelessness are children aged ,18 years who are either unaccompanied Address correspondence to Amanda M. Stewart, MD, MPH, Division of Emergency Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, by an adult or are homeless as part of a family unit.2 Within a 12-month 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115. amanda.stewart@ period, 4.3% of 13- to 17-year-olds and 9.7% of 18- to 25-year-olds report childrens.harvard.edu homelessness unaccompanied by an adult.3 Additionally, ∼58 000 families, PEDIATRICS (ISSN Numbers: Print, 0031-4005; Online, 1098- . including 100 000 children, experience homelessness on any given 4275). night.2 That is roughly the equivalent of 1400 school buses full of children, Copyright © 2020 by the American Academy of Pediatrics enough to stretch 12 miles end to end. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: The authors have indicated they have The relationship between housing and child health, including COVID-19, is no financial relationships relevant to this article to disclose. bidirectional (Fig 1), and homelessness results in increased morbidity and FUNDING: No external funding. 1,4 mortality. POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST: The authors have Children who are homeless are more likely to experience developmental indicated they have no potential conflicts of interest to delays, asthma exacerbations and admissions, obesity, dental and vision disclose. problems, and mental health problems, and they are more likely to be a victim of both accidental and nonaccidental injury.1,4 They are at higher To cite: Coughlin CG, Sandel M, Stewart AM. Homelessness, risk of many infections, including otitis media, gastroenteritis, and viral Children, and COVID-19: A Looming Crisis. Pediatrics.2020; 146(2):e20201408 upper respiratory infections.1,3,4 This is in part due to overcrowded living Downloaded from www.aappublications.org/news by guest on October 1, 2021 PEDIATRICS Volume 146, number 2, August 2020:e20201408 PEDIATRICS PERSPECTIVES situations, such as in shelters or when doubled up. Additionally, children Loss of wages if experiencing homelessness may live Job loss Increased medical acutely ill, in substandard housing conditions, (± resultant costs requiring insurance loss) isolation, or may lack access to basic hygiene caring for ill loved supplies, may have other material one hardships (such as food insecurity), and may have difficulty accessing health care, all of which increases Exacerbated Increased costs of housing their risk of infections,1,4 including necessities (food, insecurity utilities) COVID-19. COVID-19 leading People who are homeless face unique to homelessness barriers in the face of illness, especially COVID-19. As stay-at-home orders are issued, housing insecure families who are doubled up may be asked to leave by the host family given concerns about infection, Increased likelihood of presenting to emergency possible eviction due to over- department occupancy, or the social and financial stressors of having additional people in the home all day. For families in congregate shelters, which often have communal kitchens and bathrooms, it may be harder to socially distance from others and maintain hygiene Homeless children standards as recommended by public at higher risk of health experts. Additionally, homeless families who are couch surfing or Inability to social infections, Underlying doubling up are generally more distance including health risks transient and mobile, making COVID-19 contact tracing, transmission prevention, and treatment more challenging. Less able to Crowded conditions perform hygiene The COVID-19 pandemic is shedding (doubled up, measures light on, and accelerating the pace of, shelters) racial and economic disparities that have long existed in the United States. FIGURE 1 Among families experiencing Bidirectional relationship between housing and child health. Homeless children and families have homelessness, 78% identify as non- worse health outcomes, and health problems predispose families to homelessness. This relationship White or Hispanic.2 Like families, converges in the emergency department as patients present for general medical complaints, COVID- unaccompanied youth experiencing 19, acute homelessness (including those seeking shelter with no medical complaints), and mental homelessness are more likely to be health concerns. Black, more likely to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender, or higher rates of underlying health available at the time this article was more likely to have not completed conditions, increased barriers in written.5 high school.3 Unfortunately, just as access to care, and increased homelessness disproportionately likelihood of living in densely In the battle against COVID-19, affects communities of color, alarming populated areas,5 health disparities emergency departments are the data demonstrate that COVID-19 perpetuated by systemic racism. This frontlines. Under nonpandemic infection and mortality rates trend permeates data from across the conditions, children who are are higher in racial minorities. country, from New York City to homeless are more likely to use the Communities of color are more Louisiana to Michigan, although emergency department than their vulnerable to COVID-19 because of national demographic data were not domiciled peers because of increases Downloaded from www.aappublications.org/news by guest on October 1, 2021 8 COUGHLIN et al in infectious and noncommunicable programs.7 Residential Assistance for certain: as pediatricians, we have diseases and the lack of a medical for Families in Transition is the experience, expertise, and power home.1 During this pandemic, we a homelessness prevention program to advocate for policies that protect have already seen families who that provides short-term financial children. are homeless presenting to the assistance for families at risk for emergency department without becoming homeless to use toward medical complaints simply because utilities, rent, and moving cost ABBREVIATION of the lack of housing. We worry assistance. Additionally, in Boston, the COVID-19: coronavirus disease this trend will increase as isolation city housing authority and public 2019 duration lengthens and the economic schools formed an innovative ramifications worsen. For homeless partnership to house 1000 families of children who present with COVID-19 public schoolchildren who are at risk REFERENCES symptoms, even if they are mild and for homelessness.7 Creative policy do not require hospitalization, it is solutions like these are critical in 1. Beharry MS, Christensen R. difficult to safely discharge them if aiding homeless children and Homelessness in pediatric populations: strategies for prevention, assistance, they cannot appropriately self-isolate families. We must also continue to and advocacy. Pediatr Clin North Am. in their current housing situation. obtain racial and/or ethnic 2020;67(2):357–372 Unless policies are put into place to demographic data on those tested for protect these children and their and affected by COVID-19 and 2. US Interagency Council on Homelessness. Homelessness in families, this may lead to unnecessary address these disparities to meet the America: Focus on Families With hospitalizations. Although these health, social, and economic needs of Children. Washington, DC: US fi admissions may be bene cial for disproportionately affected Interagency Council on Homelessness; public health infection-control communities. 2018 measures, they also result in This pandemic has magnified the 3. Morton