Page - 358 - in VULNERABLE - The Law, Policy and Ethics of COVID-19

VULNERABLE358 and his family, including adequate food, clothing and housing, and to the continuous improvement of living conditions.”3 To understand housing as a right is to understand it as a social  good. This means rec- ognizing housing as more than mere physical shelter, but as founda- tional to safety, security, and dignity.4 In the wake of COVID-19, those without access to adequate housing face profound and complex barri- ers to staying safe or protecting themselves—in some cases threaten- ing their very survival. Despite Canadian governments’ acknowledgement that COVID- 19 presents disproportionate risks and burdens for some groups, poli- cies have not been responsive enough to the distinct needs and human rights of vulnerable groups. Emerging evidence suggests the enforce- ment of universal public health orders has had detrimental effects on some of the most marginalized people in society and that targeted interventions for vulnerable groups have not always been rights-com- pliant or improved outcomes.5 People experiencing homelessness, sur- vivors of IPV, and low-income renters are three such groups whose housing status has powerfully shaped their pandemic experiences. People Experiencing Homelessness Despite being one of the wealthiest countries in the world, home- lessness is commonplace in most Canadian communities. Policy responses to homelessness have historically been emergency-focused, with many cities failing to see significant reductions in homelessness year after year.6 As a result, COVID-19 has emerged when hundreds of thousands of people live unsheltered on the streets, trying to sur- vive through a patchwork of shelters, drop-ins, and social services. For those trapped in situations of homelessness, COVID-19 pres- ents a severe threat to life, security, and dignity. Those on the streets 3. International  Covenant  on  Economic,  Social  and  Cultural  Rights, 16 December 1966, 993 UNTS 3 art 11 (entered into force 3 January 1976). 4. Report  of  the  Special  Rapporteur  on  Adequate  Housing  as  a  Component  of  the  Right  to  an  Adequate  Standard  of  Living,  and  on  the  Right  to  Non-discrimination  in  This  Context, UNHRC, 43rd Sess., Annex, Agenda Item 3, UN Doc A/HRC/43/43/Add.1 (2020). 5. “Statement–Inequality Amplified by COVID-19 Crisis” (2020), online: Canadian Human  Rights  Commission <www.chrc-ccdp.gc.ca/eng/content/statement-inequal- ity-amplified-covid-19-crisis>. See also Alex Neve & Isabelle Langlois, “Canada’s COVID-19 Response Demands Human-Rights Oversight”, Globe  and  Mail  (15 April 2020), online: <www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-canadas- covid-19-response-demands-human-rights-oversight/>. 6. Gaetz, supra note 1.