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This story has been updated Monday with comments from Jimmie Hale Mission and Firehouse Ministries concerning the cancellation of their volunteer programs.

A Birmingham homelessness advocate is concerned about the increasing vulnerability of her homeless neighbors as coronavirus cases are confirmed throughout Alabama.

“All the people who have access to soap and water to wash their hands are buying up everything without thinking about the portion of the community who is extremely vulnerable right now,” said Erica Star Robbins. “It’s an epidemic waiting to happen. If one person in the homeless community contracts it, it will spread rapidly.”

As the founder of Be a Blessing Birmingham, Robbins has made sure those who are homeless have all the essentials they need, such as food and clothing items. Her goal Friday was to buy extra hygiene items to hand out to the homeless at the city’s parks. But after traveling to six different stores, Robbins couldn’t buy anything because customers emptied store shelves of hand sanitizer and other hygiene products.

An estimated 3,200 Alabamians were homeless on a single night in January 2019, according to an annual report by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The National Center to end homelessness reports that Jefferson, Shelby and St. Clair counties have the most people homeless on any given night in the state with 901 people.

Experts say the homeless community is more susceptible to the disease because most of them have chronic medical issues, limited to no health care options and don’t have access to facilities where they can wash their hands or isolate themselves if they do get sick. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the elderly and those with chronic illnesses are at higher risks of getting very sick from the novel coronavirus, or COVID19.

During a press conference Friday, Birmingham Mayor Randal Woodfin said his office is communicating with One Roof, an agency that connects with most homeless service providers in the Birmingham-area, to find ways to engage with what Woodfin identified as the “second-most vulnerable population” in the city when it comes to the coronavirus.

“There are no concrete plans, but we are working through that,” Woodfin said.

Having a city-level plan for the homeless will protect everyone from the infectious disease, Robbins said. The homeless community is a migrant community. Robbin said they still use public facilities libraries and are passing by other citizens every day.

“If one person gets it and they move around, it’s very easy for those germs to be passed around to the rest of the city because they are constantly moving,” Robbins said.

Robbins is asking people to either donate hygiene items at their drop-off locations, which can be found on Be a Blessing Birmingham’s website , or people can click here to donate funds to the nonprofit.

“If it shows up in the homeless community and it starts to spread, it’s going to cause issues amongst the general population,” Robbins said.

Organizations providing services for the homeless community throughout the state are increasing sanitation efforts to reduce the risk of contamination. Firehouse Ministries, which has been combating chronic homelessness in the Birmingham-area since 1983, shut down its volunteer program on Monday until April 6th. However, the shelter is asking for the following donations:

Milk

Cereal

Eggs

Bread

Sandwich meat

Brown bags for lunches

Individual bags of chips

Snacks

Easy to prepare meals, such as hot dogs, hot dog buns, frozen pizza, large quantities of soup or casseroles

Lysol

Financial Donations

Medical gloves

Cleaning wipes

Board games, decks of playing cards, art supplies

Donations can be dropped off from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. at the Firehouse’s loading dock located at 626 2nd Ave. North Birmingham, AL, 35203. Once donors have arrived at the dock, they will then need to call the shelter at 205-403-5587 and a staff member will come out to assist them.

The Firehouse shelter is handing out hand sanitizer throughout the facility. A notice telling visitors to avoid hugging or shaking hands and other hygiene tips are placed on entrances.

“If you feel sick or have a fever, let your case manager know right away,” the notice states.

Jimmie Hale Mission, a Birmingham-based nonprofit which helps people who are homeless through various programs, announced Monday afternoon it is no longer admitting new clients at the Men’s Center, Jessie’s Place or Royal Pines until March 31. Overnight accommodations for guests, family visitations for current clients and all on-site volunteer activities have been suspended during this time frame as well.

Executive Director Michael Coleman said the nonprofit made the decision based on recommendations from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention and the Alabama Department of Public Health. Both government entities recommended that events involving 50 or more people be cancelled or postponed.

“We’ve had no reported illnesses (at Jimmie Hale Mission) at this time and will continue to do everything possible to ensure that residents and personnel are monitored for any adverse health conditions and that they are separated from the general population and directed to the appropriate healthcare facilities if needed,” Coleman said.

Warm, home-cooked meals are still needed for the “Nourish the Needy” program, which feeds the 20-25 homeless women and children who are being sheltered at Jessie’s Place. Although volunteers will not be allowed to serve the clients until the end of the month, hot meals can still be donated to the staff at Jessie’s Place. People can schedule their food donations by calling Jessie’s Place at 205-323-0170.

“We are prayerful that this crisis will come to an end soon,” Coleman said. “We will continue to monitor the situation and remain in contact with health officials regarding best practices until that time.”

Officials with the Salvation Army, which operates 10 shelters staffed by 265 employees in Alabama, are working with health officials at the local, state and federal level to protect the homeless from the coronavirus. Additional cleaning is occurring at the organization’s residential facilities to prevent the infectious disease from spreading. If a staff member or a resident becomes sick, quarantine areas will be established and additional healthcare will be needed. The Salvation Army Emergency Response staff are on standby if staff must be increased.

In a statement issued Friday, Salvation Army said it expects an increase in rent/mortgage, utility and food assistance because of the possible economical side effects of the coronavirus. Multiple social and sporting events and all schools – both on the K-12 and higher education level – are preparing to close or move to online classes for weeks.

“Several industries are at risk of financial hardship, such as travel and hospitality,” the statement said. “We anticipate a significant increase in emergency assistance for low-wage employees who may be temporarily laid off due to the coronavirus."