The National Alliance to End Homelessness asked homeless providers, leaders, advocates, allies, and those with lived homelessness to complete a survey on what they needed to protect people experiencing homelessness from COVID-19. The Alliance released the survey on March 20 in the Alliance’s e-newsletter and promoted it on social media. People were told that their responses would be used to inform policymaking and advocacy to ensure their perspectives would be heard.
A total of 785 individuals completed the brief survey, including direct service providers, shelter providers, permanent supportive housing providers, rapid re-housing (RRH) providers, and those with lived experience. Respondents also include homeless service system leaders, funders, and Continuum-of-Care (CoC) administrators from across the country.
The survey yielded rich qualitative data. The Alliance presents the following summary of findings related to local needs to keep people experiencing homelessness sheltered and safe in light of the COVID-19 crisis.