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West Valley church organizes effort to help homeless

Homeless community especially vulnerable during COVID-19

Posted 3/29/20

Many churches, synagogues and temples have suspended worship services to comply with recommendations for slowing the spread of COVID-19. And although worship services may be on hiatus, congregations …

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West Valley church organizes effort to help homeless

Homeless community especially vulnerable during COVID-19

Posted

Many churches, synagogues and temples have suspended worship services to comply with recommendations for slowing the spread of COVID-19. And although worship services may be on hiatus, congregations like Desert Garden United Church of Christ, 18818 N. 128th Ave., Sun City West, are finding ways to help those in need.

Desert Garden is hosting a project called “plarning,” which allows people to stay in the protection of their own homes but still be involved in care of the homeless population.

“Plarning is making useful objects out of yarn made from plastic bags,” Desert Garden Church business manager Annette Strangman stated in an email. “Utilizing plarning, people can make soft, water-proof mats for the homeless. The project offers a number of ways to be involved: collect and save used plastic bags; flatten smooth and cut bags into strips; loop strips together to form plarn; and knit or crochet the plarn into mats.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention note that people experiencing unsheltered homelessness (those sleeping outside or in places not meant for human habitation) may be at risk for infection when there is community spread of COVID-19.

“Lack of housing contributes to poor health outcomes, and linkage to permanent housing should continue to be a priority,” www.cdc.gov states. “In the context of COVID-19, the risks associated with sleeping outdoors in an encampment setting are different than with staying indoors in a congregate setting such as an emergency shelter or other congregate living facility. Outdoor settings may allow people to increase distance between themselves and others. However, sleeping outdoors often does not provide protection from the environment, quick access to hygiene and sanitation facilities, or connection to healthcare.”

As of January 2019, Arizona had an estimated 10,007 experiencing homelessness on any given day, as reported by Continuums of Care to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Of that total, 745 were family households, 910 were veterans, 587 were unaccompanied young adults (aged 18-24), and 1,876 were individuals experiencing chronic homelessness.

Public school data reported to the U.S. Department of Education during the 2017-2018 school year shows that an estimated 24,399 public school students experienced homelessness over the course of the year. Of that total, 628 students were unsheltered, 5,362 were in shelters, 1,660 were inhotels/motels, and 15,285 were doubled up.

Desert Garden’s effort is a long-term project that will run through the summer and into next year.

Anyone interested in getting involved can call 623-584-1795.