Page - 360 - in VULNERABLE - The Law, Policy and Ethics of COVID-19

VULNERABLE360 limited access to personal protective equipment (PPE), dwindling staff, and insufficient facilities to enable physical distancing, many shelters and drop-ins have had little choice but to reduce services or close entirely (despite best efforts).12 While some communities have replaced or adapted services, advocates report significant gaps across the country. Emergency Relief Some cities have chosen to create new temporary shelters in existing public or private buildings (e.g., convention centres), seeking to enable physical distancing (e.g., through positioning floor mats six feet apart). While these facilities have been welcomed in some communities, they have also been criticized for failing to comply with public health mea- sures and displacing people from existing support systems.13 Heightened Law Enforcement Many cities have heightened law enforcement to control the spread of COVID-19 among people experiencing homelessness and the general public. In cities such as Hamilton and Vancouver, people experienc- ing homelessness report being ticketed $880 for failing to physically distance.14 Tent encampments have increasingly been forcibly evicted under the mantle of COVID-19, often in ways that are contrary to international human rights law.15 12. See e.g. Al Donato “Homeless Canadians Face Increasing Danger Because Of COVID-19 Lockdowns”, Huffington  Post (last updated 18 April 2020), online: <www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/homeless-canadians-danger-coronavirus_ ca_5e83665fc5b62dd9f5d6a72d>. 13. See e.g. Cathy Crowe, “Fifty Days into the COVID-19 Pandemic, and Homeless People Are Still in a Desperate Situation” (28 April 2020), online (blog): Rabble <rabble.ca/ blogs/bloggers/cathy-crowes-blog/2020/04/fifty-days-covid-19-pandemic-and- homeless-people-are-still>. 14. See e.g. Matthew Van Dongen, “‘I Can’t Pay It Anyway’: Why Are Hamilton Police Ticketing The Homeless During The Covid-19 Pandemic?” Toronto Star (21 April 2020), online: <www.thestar.com/news/gta/2020/04/21/i-cant-pay-it- anyway-why-are-hamilton-police-ticketing-the-homeless-during-the-covid- 19-pandemic.html>. 15. Leilani Farha & Kaitlin Schwan, “A National Protocol for Homeless Encamp- ments in Canada: A Human Rights Approach” (30 April 2020), online (pdf): United  Nations  Special  Rapporteur  on  the  Right  to  Adequate  Housing <www.unhous- ingrapp.org/user/pages/07.press-room/A%20National%20Protocol%20for%20 Homeless%20Encampments%20in%20Canada.pdf>.