Jacksonville’s COVID-19 Shelter Task Force announced additional steps for homeless

With Jacksonville’s COVID-19 cases on the rise, the Shelter Task Force announced it will re-implement protocols to help protect the homeless from Coronavirus. Shelters will be reducing their capacity by 50% to help with social distancing. This does not mean they’ll be kicking homeless out of shelters, it means when someone leaves the shelter, they won’t fill the spot. It’s a rolling capacity cap, similar to what they did starting in March 2020.

The Shelter Task Force also announced the creation of the temporary isolation facility. This facility will be for homeless who are confirmed positive for COVID-19 and are stable enough to be transported. Those in the facility will be medically assessed during their stay and will receive clean clothes, hot food and cold drinks. Once their stay is over, they’ll also be given a medical plan. The plan consists of a connection to a primary care physician for immediate and ongoing healthcare needs. Those who are staying at homeless shelters will have access to testing and Sulzbacher will offer walk-in vaccines for all of its clinics.

The Shelter Task Force is a group of 13 local homeless service providers that includes Sulzbacher, Mission House, and Changing Homelessness.

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