Health and Housing Equity Connection
Gilvar Consulting Services Newsletter
February 2021
This month’s topic: Cross-silo Partnerships Boldly Tackling Inequities in the Midst of the Pandemic
New COVID-19 hospitalization data shine a stark light on the connection between homelessness and poor health. The Minnesota Department of Health found that people residing in homeless shelters who were diagnosed with COVID-19 were 4 times more likely to be hospitalized and 3 times more likely to be admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) than the overall population of Minnesota residents with a COVID+ diagnosis. The hospitalization and ICU rates for people living unsheltered were even worse: almost 10 times more likely to be hospitalized and 7 times more likely to receive treatment in an ICU. In the midst of the current COVID-19 crisis, innovative and heroic cross-sector collaborations have emerged that address these and other health disparities impacting people living homeless. This month’s newsletter provides links to resources describing remarkable partnerships in Minnesota, Connecticut, Atlanta, and Los Angeles. Each example provides inspiration for working successfully across silos as the pandemic recedes and its aftermath for our most vulnerable comes into better focus, especially within neighborhoods and communities where large numbers of Black, Brown, and Indigenous people reside.