Guidance from the National Health Care for the Homeless Council

• Issue Brief #7: COVID-19 & the HCH Community: Further Illustrating the Benefits of ‘Medicare-for-All’
• Webinar: COVID-19 Coffee Chat: Continuity of Care for Residents in Permanent Supportive Housing (May 12, 2020)
• COVID-19 Data Dashboard: Health Care for the Homeless Comparative Data
• Issue Brief #2: COVID-19 & the HCH Community: Needed Actions from Public Health and Emergency Response Systems
• Issue Brief #1: COVID & the HCH Community: Needed Policy Responses for a High-Risk Group
• Things to Do During the COVID-19 Crisis If You Have Diabetes
• Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information for Homeless Shelters and Homeless Service Providers
• Our COVID-19 Blog: Insights from the Field
• Shareable Infographics
• COVID-19 Videos and Webinars

Guidance from Federal Agencies

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Coronavirus Disease 2019: landing page with key information and updates
• CDC: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Situation Summary
• CDC: Interim Guidance for Homeless Service Providers to Plan and Respond to COVID-19
• CDC: FAQ on Homelessness
• CDC: Information on People Experiencing Homelessness
• CDC: About Coronavirus Disease 2019: symptoms, prevention, and treatment
• CDC: Cleaning and Disinfection Recommendations
• CDC: Interim Guidance for Homeless Service Providers to Plan and Respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
• CDC: Youth Experiencing Homelessness
• CDC: Checklist for Homeless Service Providers During Community Re-opening
• Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD): General Information and Resources
• HUD: New Integrated Approaches to Minimize the COVID-19 Risk and Address Rehousing Needs
• HUD: Preventing and Managing the Spread of Infectious Disease for People Experiencing Homelessness
• HUD: Infectious Disease Preparedness Webinar with HUD, CDC, NHCHC, and Seattle-King County
• HUD: Infectious Disease Toolkit for CoCs
• Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA): Coronavirus (COVID-19) Frequently Asked Questions
• HRSA: Emergency Preparedness and Recovery Resources for Health Centers webpage
• Department of Health and Human Services: Coronavirus Resources (Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response)

Guidance from National Organizations

• COVID-19 Resource Guide (Homebase)
• Corporation for Supportive Housing: Resources for care coordination and supportive housing
• Beyond the Food Pantry: COVID-19 Response for Students Who are Homeless or With Experience in Foster Care (SchoolHouse Connection)

Guidance from Local Programs

• Webinar: COVID-19 Coffee Chat: Clinical Pandemic Response for People Without Homes—Insights from Seattle & King County (March 27, 2020)
• Our Washington colleagues at Seattle-King County’s Health Care for the Homeless network are at the epicenter of the US outbreak and are rapidly and continuously producing guidance for service providers. Follow their webpage closely for regularly updated resources, such as a COVID-19 Preparedness Planning Guide, Interim Guidance on COVID-19 for Homeless Service Providers, Response Assessments, Sanitation and Hygiene Guides, and more.
• Interim Guidance: Preventing Spread of COVID-19 among Persons Experiencing Homelessness (San Francisco Department of Public Health, CA)
• Coronavirus FAQ (Valley Homeless Healthcare Program of Santa Clara County, CA)
• Health Care for the Homeless COVID-related guidance (Alameda County Health Care for the Homeless, Alameda County, CA)
• COVID-19 and Homelessness Resource Guide (Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, Hartford, CA)
• Coronavirus FAQ (Valley Homeless Healthcare Program of Santa Clara County, CA)
• Related guidance and other documents (Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority)
• All COVID-related policies: scroll down for homeless- and health-related guidance (Western New York Law Center, New York)
• COVID-19 Guidance from Hawaii (State of Hawaii)

Guidance from the National Health Care for the Homeless Council

• Webinar: COVID-19 Coffee Chat: The Role of Medical Respite Care in COVID-19 Response (April 10, 2020)
• COVID-19 & the HCH Community: Medical Respite Care & Alternative Care Sites
• Reducing Harm for People Using Drugs & Alcohol During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Guide for ACS Programs
• COVID & the HCH Community: Needed Policy Responses for a High-Risk Group

Federal Agencies

• HUD: Help Stop the Spread of COVID-19 by Watching for These Possible Symptoms
• HUD: Cleaning Activities: You Know You’re Ready When You Have
• HUD: Facility Layout: You Know You’re Ready When You Have
• HUD: What to Do in a Shelter When Someone Shows COVID-19 Symptoms
• HUD: Staff Capacity: Considerations for Scaling Up
• HUD: COVID-19 Homeless System Response: Winter Planning Resources
• HUD: Mitigating the Spread: Washington DC Shelter Profile
• HUD: Homeless System Response: Supporting Individuals Exiting Isolation or Quarantine
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Guidance for Alternate Care Sites and Isolation Sites
• Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD): COVID-19: Shelter Management During an Infectious Disease Outbreak (also en Español)
• HUD: Preventing and Managing the Spread of Infectious Disease within Shelters
• HUD: Non-Congregate Approaches to Sheltering for COVID-19 Homeless Response

National Organizations

• Community Solutions and the National Law Center on on Homelessness & Poverty: Guidance on Leasing of Hotels by Governmental Entities for Use as Temporary Shelters for Quarantining of Homeless Persons During the COVID-19 Pandemic
• American Hotel & Lodging Association: Hotel-Hospital COVID-19 Response Playbook

Local Programs

• Chicago Homelessness and Health Response Group for Equity: COVID-19 Response Report
• Webinar: COVID-19 Coffee Chat: Structuring I/Q Sites for People Experiencing Homelessness: Examples and Guidance from Alameda County’s Project Roomkey (May 5, 2020)
• Coronavirus guidance for congregate living facilities (Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, CA)
• Edward Thomas House Medical Respite COVID-19 (C-19) Protocol (Seattle & King County, WA)
• Edward Thomas House: Medical Respite Webinar and Resources (Seattle & King County, WA)
• COVID-19 Respite Facility for People Experiencing Homelessness (City of New Haven, CT)
• Guidance: Referring Persons Experiencing Homelessness with COVID-19 Symptoms But Not Yet Diagnosed with COVID-19 Disease to Isolation in Individual Hotel Rooms (Heartland Alliance Health in Chicago, IL)
• Operation Comfort: Alameda County Emergency Hotel Shelter Handbook (Alameda County, CA)
• Columbus, OH: Guidelines for establishing hotel/motels as isolation, quarantine, respite or emergency shelters (Coalition on Homeless and Housing in Ohio)
• Guidance to Shelter Providers and Other Community Partners in Operating Under COVID-19 Requirements (Monroe County Shelter Bed Task Group, Monroe County, NY)

Guidance from the National Health Care for the Homeless Council

• Webinar: COVID-19 Coffee Chat: Organizing Showers & Hygiene Access for People Living Outside (October 9, 2020)
• Webinar: COVID-19 Coffee Chat: Addressing the Pandemic in Rural Communities (May 15, 2020)
• Webinar: COVID-19 Coffee Chat: Reaching Unsheltered People (April 3, 2020)
• Quick Information: Responding to COVID-19 Among People Experiencing Unsheltered Homelessness

Guidance from Federal Agencies

• HUD: COVID-19 Homeless System Response: Winter Planning Resources
• HUD: Protecting Health and Well-being of People in Encampments During an Infectious Disease Outbreak
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Preventing and Managing the Spread of Infectious Disease within Encampments
• CDC: COVID-19: Essential Services for Encampments During an Infectious Disease Outbreak
• CDC: Interim Guidance for Responding to COVID-19 among People Experiencing Unsheltered Homelessness
• CDC: Interim Guidance on Unsheltered Homelessness and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) for Homeless Service Providers and Local Officials

Guidance from National Organizations

• Request technical assistance on organizing mobile showers and hygiene access from LavaMaeˣ
• Street Medicine Institute: Street Medicine Practice During the COVID-19 Epidemic

Guidance from Local Programs

• Pandemic Handbook for Outreach Workers Visiting Encampments (Neighborhood Health, Nashville, TN)
• Interim Guidance for Safe Sleeping Villages to Reduce the Risk of COVID-19 (San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco, CA)
• Interim Guidance for Safe Sleeping for Unsheltered Persons Experiencing Homelessness to Reduce the Risk of COVID-19 (San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco, CA)

Guidance from the National Health Care for the Homeless Council

• Webinar: Testing for COVID-19 in Homeless Shelters & Encampments: Discussing CDC’s New Health Department Guidance & NHCHC’s Newest Issue Brief (July 10, 2020)
• Issue Brief #6: COVID-19 & the HCH Community: Strategies for Proactive Universal Testing
• Issue Brief #4: COVID-19 & the HCH Community: Comprehensive Testing & Services For People Experiencing Homelessness
• Quick Information: How to Use Personal Protective Equipment: A Quick Reference Guide for Frontline Clinical Providers
• Webinar: COVID-19 Coffee Chat: Testing for COVID-19 in Homeless Shelters (May 4, 2020)

Guidance from Federal Agencies

• CDC: Interim Considerations for Health Departments for SARS-CoV-2 Testing in Homeless Shelters and Encampments
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Report to Congress: COVID-19 Strategic Testing Plan
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Screening Clients for Respiratory Infection Symptoms at Entry to Homeless Shelters
• Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD): COVID-19: How to Screen Clients Upon Entry to Shelter or Opportunity Centers
• CDC: Evaluating and Reporting Persons Under Investigation (PUI)
• CDC: PPE: Recommendation Regarding the Use of Cloth Face Coverings
• CDC: Strategies for Optimizing the Supply of PPE
• CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: COVID-19 Outbreak Among Three Affiliated Homeless Service Sites — King County, Washington, 2020
• CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: Assessment of SARS-CoV-2 Infection Prevalence in Homeless Shelters — Four U.S. Cities, March 27–April 15, 2020

Guidance from National Organizations

• Jacksonville Case Study: COVID-19 Testing Pilot (Community Solutions)
• The DIY Face Shield Project: Improvising PPE

Guidance from Local Programs

• Positive COVID-19 Test Result Workflow (Houston)
• Workflow for individual screening, testing, and isolation (Greensboro, NC)
• COVID-19 Congregate Homeless Shelter Response (Baltimore City, MD)
• Universal COVID-19 Testing for People Experiencing Homelessness (Mercy Care, Atlanta, GA)
• COVID Homeless Screener with Temperature and Screening Supply List (Heartland Alliance Health)
• Patient attestation forms: English and Spanish (Boston Public Health Commission, Boston, MA)
• Guidance: Referring Persons Experiencing Homelessness with COVID-19 Positive Test Results (Heartland Alliance Health, Chicago, IL)
• Guidance on the Discharge of High-Risk COVID-19 Persons Under Investigation (PUI) or Confirmed Cases (Chicago Department of Public Health, Chicago, IL)
• COVID-19 Client Triage Tool: Atlanta CoC Example (Atlanta, GA)
• Health Screening Tool (RI)

Academic Research

• Characteristics of COVID-19 in Homeless Shelters: A Community-Based Surveillance Study (September 2020, Rogers, et al., Annals of Internal Medicine)
• COVID-19 Outbreak at a Large Homeless Shelter in Boston: Implications for Universal Testing (Research by Travis P. Baggett, Harrison Keyes, Nora Sporn, and Jessie M. Gaeta)

Guidance from the National Health Care for the Homeless Council

• COVID-19 & the HCH Community: Ensuring Access to Care Through State Medicaid Telehealth Policies (November 2020)

• Building the Plane While Flying It: Health Care for the Homeless, Telehealth and COVID-19, Part II (September 2020)

• Building the Plane While Flying It: Case Studies on COVID-19, Telehealth, and Health Care for the Homeless Centers (August 2020)
• Webinar: COVID-19 Coffee Chat: Using Telehealth Services for Patient Care (May 2020)

Guidance from Federal Agencies

• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA): Buprenorphine and Telemedicine COVID-19 Guidance
• Federal Communications Commission: COVID-19 Telehealth Program

Guidance from National Organizations

• Launching a Toolkit for Safety Net Clinics Implementing Telemedicine During the COVID-19 Pandemic (The Commonwealth Fund)
• General Telehealth Resources (National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers)
• COVID-19 Telehealth Coverage Policies (Center for Connected Health Policy)
• COVID-19 Telehealth Resources (Northeast Telehealth Resource Center)
• Telehealth Resources for COVID-19 Toolkit (Mid-Atlantic Telehealth Resource Center)

Guidance from the National Health Care for the Homeless Council

• Webinar: COVID-19 Coffee Chat: Avoiding Civil Detention: Responding to Clients Who Violate Isolation Orders (April 24, 2020)
• Webinar: COVID-19 Coffee Chat: Supporting Clients’ Mental Health During Isolation and Quarantine (April 17, 2020)
• Reducing Harm for People Using Drugs & Alcohol During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Guide for ACS Programs
• Harm Reduction: Preparing People for Change: An Online Course of with the National Alliance to End Homelessness’s COVID-19 Online Learning Series

Guidance from Federal Agencies

• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA): Updated FAQs for Opioid Use Disorder Prescribing and Dispensing in the COVID-19 Emergency
• SAMHSA: Buprenorphine and Telemedicine COVID-19 Guidance

Guidance from National Organizations

• Vital Strategies and Harm Reduction Coalition: COVID-19, Stimulant Use, and Harm Reduction
• Harm Reduction Coalition: Guidance for People Who Use Drugs and Harm Reduction Programs
• Yale Program in Addiction Medicine: COVID-19 Guidance for Clinicians & Opioid Treatment Programs
• American Medical Association: COVID-19 policy recommendations for OUD, Pain, Harm Reduction
• NASTAD: COVID-19 Updates and Resources
• NASTAD: Health Department Responses to COVID-19: Webinar: Supporting SSPS and Harm Reduction Programs

Guidance from Local Programs

• San Francisco AIDS Foundation: COVID-19 and Harm Reduction: Information for People Who Use Drugs and Syringe Service and other Harm Reduction Providers (San Francisco, CA)
• SF United in Crisis: A Medically Indicated Plan to Prevent Spread of COVID-19 Among Unhoused People (San Francisco, CA)

• What We Heard about COVID-19, Homelessness, and Services from People with Lived Experience (National Innovation Services)

• On the Frontlines: Nonprofits Led by People of Color Confront COVID-19 and Structural Racism (Building Movement Project)

• Staff Orientation to Racial Equity (HUD)

• Creating a Cultural Equity Plan: Organizational Policies and Procedures (HUD)
• Equity Capacity Building: Hiring, Supervision, Training (HUD)
• Racial Trauma and Trauma-Informed Services (HUD)
• Integrating Equity in the Time of COVID-19 (Homebase)
• Race, Homelessness, and COVID-19: Guidance for Homeless Services Providers (Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio)
• COVID-19 Racial Equity Resource Guide (Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority)
• COVID-19 Homeless System Response: Prevention to Promote Equity (HUD)
• Policing, Incarceration, & COVID-19 from the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty
• Compounding Oppression: Antiracism in COVID-19 Response
• Racial Justice During Crises: COVID will show you whether it’s a priority by Michael Durham, National Health Care for the Homeless Council
• Race, Homelessness, and COVID-19 from the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty
• CSH blog by Pascale Leon
• An Equitable Systems Transformation Framework for COVID-19 from National Innovation Services
• COVID-19 – Racial Equity & Social Justice Resources from Racial Equity Tools
• Central City Concern internal guidance
• Oregon health authority recommendations
• An Invitation to Center Race in Government Responses to COVID-19 by Living Cities
• CDC Statement on Reducing Stigma
• Strategies for racial equity in COVID-19 response
• Equity Tool (Corporation for Supportive Housing)
• Centering Equity in Health & Housing Partnerships in Times of Crisis & Beyond (CSH)
• Crises as Catalyst: A Call for Race Equity & Inclusive Leadership (ProInspire)
• Equity at the Intersection of Race and Housing (Public Health Newswire)

Guidance from the National Health Care for the Homeless Council

• How to Wear and Care for your Cloth Face Covering
• Things to Do During the COVID-19 Crisis If You Have Diabetes
• Cover Your Cough Flyer (English)
• Cover Your Cough Flyer (Spanish)
• Did You Wash Your Hands Flyer

Guidance from Federal Agencies

• People Experiencing Homelessness: numerous information flyers aimed at consumers (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Information for people experiencing homelessness (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

 Guidance from National Organizations

• FAQ from National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
• COVID-19 Guidance for People Who Use Substances (Yale Program in Addiction Medicine)
• COVID-19 Guidance for People Engaged in Substance Use Treatment (Yale Program in Addiction Medicine)

Guidance from Local Programs

• Information for people who are homeless and use drugs (courtesy of the Homeless Youth Alliance in San Francisco)
• “How do you wash your hands when…?” (from Western Regional Advocacy Project)
• Public Health, Seattle & King County: Protecting Yourself and Others on the Bus (Seattle, WA)
• Public Health, Seattle & King County: COVID-19 Health Warning for People Living Homeless (Seattle, WA)
• Public Health, Seattle & King County: Special Guidance: Wearing Cloth Face Coverings (Seattle, WA)
• Public Health, Seattle & King County: Special Guidance: Staying Safe When in Line for Food/Shelter (Seattle, WA)

• Coronavirus Anxiety Workbook from the Wellness Society
• Mindfulness in the Time of Crisis podcast from C4 Innovations

Guidance from the National Health Care for the Homeless Council

• NHCHC: National HCH Council Emergency Preparedness Resources
• Pandemic Influenza Guidance for Homeless Shelters & Homeless Service Providers (2009) | The National Health Care for the Homeless Council developed this practical manual for homeless shelters and other service providers as they plan for and respond to the special needs of people without homes during the influenza season. Different facilities will need to tailor the guidance to meet the specific needs of their staff and the people they serve. The manual consolidates a number of materials developed by credible authorities.
• Influenza chapter from The Health Care of Homeless Persons

 Guidance from Federal Agencies

• HHS/ASPE: Individuals Experiencing Homelessness are Likely to have Medical Conditions Associated with Severe Illness from COVID-19
• Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD): Homeless System Response: Changes to Coordinated Entry Prioritization to Support and Respond to COVID-19
• HUD: HUD Issues Availability of Regulatory Waivers for CoC, ESG, and HOPWA Programs to Help Prevent the Spread of COVID-19 and Mitigate Economic Impacts
• Health Resources and Services Administration: Emergency Preparedness and Recovery Resources for Health Centers
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Emerging Infectious Diseases
• CDC: Pandemic Influenza Plan Template for Primary Care Provider Offices

Academic Research

• Epidemiology of COVID-19 among People Experiencing Homelessness: Early Evidence from Boston (Research by Travis P. Baggett, Elizabeth Lewis, and Jessie M. Gaeta)
• Estimated Emergency and Observational/Quarantine Capacity Need for the US Homeless Population Related to COVID-19 Exposure by County; Projected Hospitalizations, Intensive Care Units and Mortality (Research by Dennis Culhane, Dan Treglia, Ken Steif, Randall Kuhn, & Thomas Byrne – March 25, 2020)
• Community-level COVID-19 Homelessness Planning & Response Dashboard (Dashboard based on research report)
• Leung, C. et al. (2008). Homelessness and the Response to Emerging Infectious Disease Outbreaks: Lessons from SARS. Journal of Urban Health 85 (3): 402-410.