The Coronavirus has shaken the Dallas community and the nation.  As we all take precautions to protect ourselves and our families from the virus such as sheltering in place, wearing masks, and limiting contact with other people, The Bridge is committed to taking the necessary steps to protect our Guests.

Did you know that our Guests at The Bridge are most at risk at contracting the Coronavirus?

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) individuals experiencing homelessness are automatically at a higher risk of contracting the coronavirus because: people tend to congregate in close quarters and are often in communal settings, the population is largely comprised of older individuals, and many individuals have a variety of underlining health conditions.

Another reason our Guests are at a higher risk of contracting the Coronavirus may be a bit more surprising.

According to the CDC, racial and ethnic minority groups are disproportionately affected by the Coronavirus. According to data collected from 580 individuals that tested positive for COVID-19, 45% were white and 55% of the individuals were of other races. Of the same group 33% of those hospitalized were black. The death rate for blacks is (92.3 deaths per 100,000) is 19% higher than Latino/Hispanic individuals and more than twice the death rate compared to Whites. This phenomenon is not unique to New York and similar trends have popped up across the country.

The reasons minority groups are at a higher risk is complicated and point to systemic issues in the nation’s healthcare system, including: a large percentage of people having underlying health conditions (due to a lack of access to preventable care and distrust of the medical community), lower-paying front line jobs that increase the exposure risk of communicable diseases, lack of paid sick time, more likely to live in densely populated areas, living further removed from grocery and pharmacies – making it harder to stock up on supplies, use of public transportation, more likely to live in multigenerational households where it is harder to isolate if sick, and the overrepresentation of minority groups in jails and detention centers all contributes to this issue.

These factors hit close to home here at The Bridge.  In our last fiscal year, The Bridge served 6,700 individuals comprised of: our 61% Black/African American, 23% White, 10% were Hispanic/Latino, 3% multiple races, 2% Native American, 1% Asian, and less than 1% Pacific Islander.

The Bridge is working diligently every day to ensure our Guests are as protected as possible from the Coronavirus, but our efforts to close gaps in medical disparities does not end once the virus subsides.

As a part of our comprehensive approach to homeless recovery, we ensure that each Guest that comes onto our campus has access to nutritious meals, physical and mental health care, transportation to obtain medications, as well as an on-campus EMT. Once a Guest leaves The Bridge, we make sure that each Guest has what they need to maintain their health.

We work tirelessly to ensure that each Guest has access to physical and mental health care, knows where to get their medications, has access to transportation, is signed up for food stamps and other benefits they may be entitled to, and establishes a social network. Our Care Managers take it a step further and do follow up visits up to 90 days after our Guests are placed into housing to ensure they are able to stay housed and thrive in the community.

Thank you for allowing The Bridge to be able to help Guests recover from homelessness and transform the Dallas Community. We could not achieve homeless recovery without your help.