Father Joe’s Villages says just under a hundred cases of COVID-19 were reported at its two shelters as of last week.
To protect the uninfected, the agency set up a temporary tent outside its East Village campus to isolate patients until they could be moved to hotels.
Vaccination rates have been low among people experiencing homelessness due to general mistrust in and poor past experiences with the health care system.
Father Joe’s Villages is working to combat this issue with consistent follow-up, on-site vaccination and one-on-one conversations.
In a written statement, Father Joe’s president and CEO Jim Vargas said:
“We continue to prioritize the health and wellbeing of those we serve and encourage vaccination. As an organization, we will continue to strictly implement health protocols designed to limit the spread of the virus and equip our staff and clients with health and safety services.”
The County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency said over 10,000 people experiencing homelessness have received at least one dose of covid-19 vaccine.
"We are housing people affected in this outbreak in our public health hotels and are providing a variety of services to any of those isolating in shelters," HHS spokesperson Sarah Sweeney told KPBS in an email. "Further, we have plans in place to expand its hotel capacity if needed."
