Houchen mentioned that when he was homeless he disliked staying in congregate shelters in the winter because it would almost guarantee catching an illness.

‘Having personally lived in shelters before, I could tell you when I was sitting there in the middle of winter at the armory, and there’s just people all around you, just within inches of you, and it seemed like half the people in there are coughing and sneezing,’ Houchen said. ‘You have to wonder, what’s flying around the air in here? This was before there was COVID.’

Even if homeless individuals are hoping to enter a shelter, it can be difficult. Weitzman said you can’t walk into a shelter in Orange County, you have to be referred.

She said many cities use police for referrals, which can be a barrier for homeless people who view law enforcement as antagonistic.

‘The more barriers that we create in our system to people getting access, the more we’re going to see people unable to gain access,’ Weitzman said.”