Text by DOMINIQUE LASHLEY and EMILY YAO
Art by SELENA CAO
DOORS OPEN FOR THE HOMELESS PANDEMIC HITS VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES
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PREAD SIX FEET APART, vol- those living on the streets — has been in unteers serve food behind plastic high demand since last March. partitions, forming an assembly “The year before COVID-19, we disline. Josh Selo, director of West tributed about $540,000 in rental assisValley Community Services, says the line tance to prevent homelessness or to move of people that they serve extend outside the folks into a home,” Selo said. “In the secfood pantry and around the corner. Mark- ond six months of last year, we distributed ings on the ground enforce distancing as $1.4 million worth of rental assistance.” clients wait to receive their meal. This is one Food assistance is also one of West of many ways his organization has adapted Valley’s major services. Every branch of to provide support to homeless individuals the organization offers a robust pantry to around the Bay Area. underserved community members, largeThe need for living assistance among ly consisting of products donated by grounderserved communities has skyrocketed cery stores. However, when grocery stores over the past year, acwere bought out and cording to Selo, whose shoppers stockpiled agency has observed the There’s been a lot of products throughout pandemic’s impact on the first few months confusion and not those without guaranin the pandemic, a lot of vaccine, and teed shelter. West Valley and oth“When a situation er food banks were it’s caused a lot of like COVID-19 hits forced to purchase and folks are out of anxiety, stress and food to make up for work, especially folks the loss in donations. frustration on many that were [in] the most While the need affected industries — levels.” for food assistance those with mostly lowdramatically in— JEFFREY SMITH, Santa Clara County creased among low er wage jobs — those executive officer folks were hit immediincome communiately,” Selo said. “They ties, further challenghave no money to pay rent, no savings and es arose for Selo’s team as social distancing no prospects for work. They either fall be- guidelines were enforced. hind, and many people fell many months “We had to cut down on the number behind on rent, but people potentially of staff in our building, and we lost almost faced eviction as well.” all of our volunteers because most of our Shelters and other services that assist volunteers are over the age of 68,” Selo said. underserved communities have withstood “It was this perfect storm of challenges.” unprecedented challenges as the number of people needing financial relief has rapidly Prioritizing homeless groups increased. Selo’s organization has stressed vacRental and utility assistance — which cine priority for the homeless population, includes supplying deposit assistance for in- especially given that social distancing and dividuals to move into a home, purchasing sheltering-in-place are virtually impossible furniture or providing basic necessities for for many homeless community members.
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20 APRIL 2021
“We had a client very early on who had other medical issues and came to us for help,” Selo said. “He was scared about being [in] a shelter because if he caught COVID, he was at greater risk for complications.” The physically vulnerable positions of homeless individuals further highlights the need for vaccine distributions among these
