One of the groups hardest hit by the pandemic: Austin’s homeless. Facing starvation and possible infection, the city has offered up new services to prevent a crisis. “This might be a silver lining to what is really a brutal time in the community, in the nation,” says Amy Price, Director of Development and Communications with Front Steps, the non-profit responsible for managing the ARCH downtown.
The pandemic‘s “silver lining”
As the stay-at-home order went into effect, many essential services that Austin’s homeless community rely on shuttered, including fast-food establishments, churches, and soup kitchens. “We were running into people who hadn’t been able to shower in a week or more,” says Max Moscoe, Community Engagement Coordinator with The Other Ones Foundation.