Health begins where we live, learn, work and play. When individuals, children and families do not have a safe place to lay their heads at night, it can dramatically affect their health and well-being. In the wake of George Floyd’s death, an ever-evolving global pandemic and an economic recession, Minnesotans are facing yet another public health emergency — a rapid increase in unsheltered homelessness. People experiencing homelessness are already among the most vulnerable groups in our society. These multiple concurrent crises have only magnified their risk and our most marginalized communities have been most affected. We are asking elected officials and policymakers to take swift action to ensure the safety and security of people experiencing homelessness in Minnesota and help to end what is an evolving humanitarian crisis in our state.
We call your attention, first, to an emergent humanitarian issue that must be addressed immediately — the lack of access to basic needs, such as water and sanitation, for our unsheltered neighbors.
Our parks in Minneapolis, including Powderhorn Park, have become sites of encampments for large numbers of people experiencing homelessness, including youth and families. The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that, when individual housing options are not available, communities protect encampments and ensure that unsheltered individuals living in encampments have access to functional water taps, hand hygiene materials and sanitation 24 hours per day. The World Health Organization also recognizes universal access to sanitation as both a human rights and public health issue.
Currently, there is no access to potable water in the parks and very limited access to hand hygiene and sanitation in most encampments, contributing to an increased risk of COVID transmission and heat stroke during the summer and violating basic human rights. We urge city and park authorities to immediately turn on the water sources at the parks and open the bathrooms to ensure adequate sanitation and hand hygiene. Failing to do so will only exacerbate this public health emergency.
We recognize these encampments are a manifestation of a greater issue — a lack of access to safe, affordable and dignified housing in Minnesota, coupled with limited resources for those who are currently experiencing homelessness. The COVID-19 pandemic has made this issue even more pressing. Moreover, we recognized that a disproportionate number of individuals that are experiencing homelessness in Minnesota are Black and Indigenous individuals, who are also disproportionately affected by COVID 19, along with other long-standing health inequities.
To simply address the urgent need without working towards practical solutions for the underlying problem would be insufficient and unethical.
A coalition of concerned community members, housing organizations and advocates, and healthcare providers is forming to support continued work to address housing justice as a key health equity and social justice issue.
We invite you to continue to collaborate with us and with your community and constituents to take swift action ensuring that every Minnesotan has a safe place to lay their head at night. The time to act and build sustainable housing solutions is NOW.
Thank you for taking action on this critical issue.
Sincerely,
Campaign Against Racism (Twin Cities Chapter):
Anisha Rimal, MD
Andrea Westby, MD
Jessica Hane, MD
Ahmed Issa, MD
Aarti Bhatt, MD
Mike Westerhaus, MD
Jeanne Barkey, RN
Ruth Staus, DNP, APRN
Nasreen Quadri, MD
Amy Finnegan, PhD
Roli Dwivedi, MD
Madhuri Kasat Shors, MD MPH
