Corona Chronicles: the homeless hostel

Emdad Rahman

ON PLANET Covid-19 the homeless are most vulnerable because of constant exposure and dangerously unacceptable living conditions. It’s not surprising that many authorities are in a frenzied mad dash to house them.

Many of the shelters offering accommodation are simply not equipped to cope with the Corona outbreak, and inhumane living conditions are likely to result in further spreading of the virus. It’s not uncommon to find rough sleepers and those in homeless shelters lacking soap and hygiene products.

I personally know one woman who’s convinced she’s going to die because the conditions at her hostel (not Brocklebank) are too cramped. Then there’s a man who’s left his hostel for the very same reason and thinks he’s got a better chance of survival by sleeping rough on the streets of London.

Our collective philosophy is you can’t just switch off because there’s a global virus on the loose. You maintain consistency or up your game. You also adapt to protect yourselves. This game has never been about easy options, and because of the vulnerability of our guests and friends there will always be risk involved.

I just couldn’t keep my boys away from Friday night live, as we teamed up with the Fatima Alauddin Homeless Project, which provided 25 home made sanitary packs. These included flannels, a toothbrush, toothpaste, hand sanitiser, soap, sanitary pads and panty liners, socks, gloves, tissue and wet wipes. We had one for the lads too, minus a few ladies’ bits. Tonight’s work was made possible by the project and my big hearted friend Susan.

We ensured we all travelled separately and made our deliveries without any physical contact with anyone. I can confirm that no homeless friends were harmed during delivery of this aid!

During these extremely challenging times it’s even more important that we do what we can to let our fellow humans know that they aren’t alone. If we can’t raise the bar, then at least maintain levels of service as a minimum. Consistency is vital, and One Third Soup Kitchen is in excellent hands with these boys in tow. Well played lads!

#homeless #coronachronicles #coronavirus #covid19 #thewanderinglondoner

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