How Tehran municipality fights COVID-19 in women's shelters

No to outbreak at homeless shelters Homeless but not hopeless: How Tehran municipality fights COVID-19 Shelters in lockdown By: Sadeq Hosseini, IranThisWay.com| Coronavirus has become a household name in its short existence among us. Months of lockdown and extreme caution have turned us all into self-proclaimed virologists and epidemiologists. So, by now, you should know well that staying home is one of the best and easiest ways to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. But have you ever wondered what happens to the homeless? After all, they are among the most vulnerable to coronavirus. Figures show at least two percent of the worlds population -or about 150 million people- does not have a home. The pandemic shut down homeless shelters, just like other public places and businesses, over fears that outbreaks in crowded facilities with vulnerable people in poor health could be catastrophic. Therefore, hotels, parking lots, stadiums, and other facilities that could house rough sleepers were turned into emergency shelters for the homeless. Tehran, just like other megacities, is dealing with the homelessness problem. Some studies put the number of the capitals rough sleepers at around 10 thousand. But data provided by the municipality shows homeless shelters do not operate on full capacity in warmer months of the year. In other words, the homeless prefer to stay homeless unless it is absolutely necessary! But the outbreak changed everything. There are currently 62 social service shelters operating across Tehran with the capacity of over 64 hundred. Every year, about 300 thousand people -the homeless, street beggars, and other needy individuals- use the services provided by these centers. They range in age from 18 to 90 years. But most of the homeless are between 35 to 40 years old. Soon after the emergence of the outbreak, Tehran municipality took extreme precautionary measures in line with general health protocols to prepare these homes for the new situation. Roqiyeh Beigzadeh, Social worker: Chitgar homeless shelter for women has a bed capacity of 450. Currently around 150 people - mainly addicts and those rejected by their families- between the ages of 18 to 60 reside here. The center is open 24/7, and aside from providing three hot meals, it also offers medical and psychiatric services and consultations to individuals, and works to reunite them with their families. Beigzadeh said: Coronavirus made our work much harder since we had to check the residents symptoms and disinfect the facility on a daily basis, as well as providing prevention training for them. She added: A face mask production workshop was assembled with the help of the residents to produce, disinfect and package between 500 to 1000 masks daily. Aida, 37 years old: The safe space this center creates, as well as the possibility of staying around the clock and, of course, the excellent rapport with social workers are some of the more important reasons convincing me to stay here for a long time. Here we have everything a woman needs. We were quarantined after the emergence of the outbreak. Our symptoms like fever were checked, and thank God I had no problem here. I go out with my friends here from time to time to take care of my personal and sometimes administrative work. There is a theater, a library and sports equipment, and I use these facilities. Pirouz Hanachi, Tehran mayor : The 21 shelters of Tehran host about 66,000 people every month. The individuals receive three meals a day as well as medical care. Despite the fact the shelters are often crowded, we have not recorded any covid-19 since the start of the outbreak. Tehran mayor said: We achieved this feat with help from the individuals themselves - after receiving proper training and equipment like face masks- and following the implementation of strict health protocols like constant disinfection of the facilities.

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