Tents On Waltham Common Put A Spotlight On Homeless

WALTHAM, MA — About 30 men were told to bring their pillows and blankets from the emergency night shelter where many of them have been staying for the past month and move to cots set up inside a large tent on the Waltham Common this week.

"This is happening," reads a contract dated April 13, the day before the move, that people staying at the shelter were required to sign. "Moving to the tent is not something you are able to refuse, as the decision has been made at this point. If you do not wish to stay in the tent you may leave the shelter program and will not be able to return."

On March 23, Gov. Charlie Baker issued a statewide stay-at-home advisory, and asked that people not gather in groups larger than 10. The commonwealth also began planning on ways to deliver services to people experiencing homelessness while keeping them safe and preventing the spread of the new coronavirus. They reached out to service providers for people experiencing homelessness, including in Waltham, according to officials from the Middlesex Human Services Agency, the nonprofit that runs three emergency shelters in Waltham, including the Bristol Lodge's men shelter. The city was brought into that process and identified the site on the common, Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency funded the tent. And about two weeks later the mayor announced a tent would go up on the common, just as advocates and people who used the shelter, where 45 men share rooms with seven or more within 3-feet from one another, raised concerns.

Other issues

People who depend on the shelter for protection from the elements at night say while this ameliorates concerns about sharing close quarters with so many others during the pandemic, it raises other issues.

"It's cold, the floor is dirty, and it's embarrassing," said one man Wednesday after spending his first night there. He pointed out that with the recent rain and no door mat leading into the tent, mud and debris was easily tracked inside. "Why does it have to be smack dead in the commons?"

"We had blankets," agreed another. "But you had to wrap up in it like you were in a cocoon to keep warm."

Middlesex Human Service Agency CEO Bob Mills said a windstorm earlier in the week created some minor damage to the tent, which is contributing to the lower temperature even though the tent is heated.

"That damage is scheduled to be repaired and MHSA is providing extra blankets in the interim," he said in a statement. "The tent is cleaned every day.”

Middlesex Human Services Agency told those staying with them that only about 10 men- those with acute medical issues - could stay back in the Bristol brick and mortar shelter. But at least one man told Patch he, too, had medical issues and needed help from staff to get out of the cot Wednesday morning but was not permitted to stay at the Lexington Street shelter.

What about during the day?

Although they are now glad to be permitted to stay in the tent during inclement weather, others point out it doesn't solve the problem of what to do during the day on other days to ensure they are abiding by the governor's stay-at-home advisory.

They have no home to go to, and must abide by the same rules at the shelter, which means they must be out by 8 a.m. in the morning and can only come back in the evening.

"What they should have done is locked us down in the beginning," said one man who stays at the shelter.

That way, by allowing them to stay inside, it could ensure that no one came in contact with the coronavirus and brought it back to the shelter.

Many credit the grassroots resource organization the Community Day Center and the non-denominational Chaplains On The Way for their outreach work, but when it comes to efforts from the shelter say they feel a bit tossed around.

Several told Patch they only found out about the move to the tent the day before and did not feel the shelter officials were doing enough to ensure those staying there were healthy. Yes, there is a washing station set up outside the tent, but, they said, there was no testing of temperatures or of the virus and it was all but impossible to know if any of them had been exposed.

And although the shelter thanked the men for understanding and going along with the changes through hiccups and reminded them that "voicing your opinion does not affect your status as our client," many said they worried if they did complain, they might lose their bed, and that's not worth risking they said.

"We're human beings, too," said another man.

The city's response

The mayor has said she is working with MEMA, city departments and Middlesex Human Services Agency on a plan to help keep people experiencing homelessness safe, though she didn't elaborate on what that might look like.

"[The homeless] population is the most vulnerable, and it's important not only for their health but for the community's safety," said Mayor Jeannette McCarthy in her Sunday video update. "We do not want to happen what's happened in other communities with regard to vulnerable population dying and the virus spreading through like a surge."

She said that during the past year Waltham had a program to help those experiencing homelessness she called it a triage center.

"Our overall goal is to try to get people a house a rental to get them a roof over their head," she said. "I don't believe in enabling, but I also believe that the public health requires us to take extraordinary steps to make sure that the homeless population, as well as the entire community of Waltham, is safe," she said.

That's particularly important to those who are staying at the shelter, as the number of people across the commonwealth who have tested positive for the coronavirus continues to rise, and at least half of them coming from long-term care or congregate living situations.

At the Pine Street Inn homeless shelter in Boston some 397 people were tested, 146 of whom tested positive, according to Liberty Mutual, which just donated $1 million in aid to that organization. The numbers highlight just how vulnerable people experiencing homelessness are to the spread of infectious diseases.

Resources:

Middlesex Human Service Agency provides Hot To Go Food at 545 Moody Street in at a soup kitchen at Grace Vision United Methodist Church. There's an entrance through the door on Cherry Street (a few feet from the Moody Street entrance). 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. every day.
Prescription and transportation assistance is available to clients of the Bristol Lodge Men's Shelter.

Previously:

• What Do Homeless People In Waltham Do Amid Coronavirus Crisis?
• Tents To House Homeless Go Up On Waltham Common
• Waltham Hotel Offers Free Stays To Coronavirus First Responders
• 200 Homeless Test Positive Coronavirus In Boston
• Coronavirus in Waltham: Cases Rise To 322

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).