What is Missouri’s plan to stop spread of the coronavirus among the homeless?

People who lack shelter, don’t have access to medical care and have existing health issues are particularly susceptible to contracting the novel coronavirus.

So, it’s only a matter of time before some of Missouri’s most vulnerable are infected with the potentially fatal virus, a dangerous development that would place them in great peril and could hasten the spread of the coronavirus in the state.

As of Thursday, at least 28 people across Missouri had tested positive for COVID-19, and the number of cases continues to multiply.

The call for social distancing and good hygiene will help flatten the curve, but people experiencing homelessness often live together in close quarters and have no practical way to adhere to those directives.

So, why doesn’t Missouri have a plan to protect those who don’t have the means to take even basic precautions?

This week, Gov. Mike Parson’s office had no good answers to questions about what steps were being taken to contain this outbreak among people who have nowhere to turn.

“The homeless population is always a concern for Governor Parson,” his spokeswoman said in a statement.

In other words, as of Thursday, there was no coordinated plan in place to help fight the transmission of the respiratory virus among homeless people.

Earlier this week, the governor, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and other officials discussed potential strategies to protect the homeless and families in need of emergency assistance, according to the mayor’s office.

But there has been little to show for those conversations.

“Every level of government is failing to care for some of our most vulnerable community members,” said housing advocate Tara Raghuveer of KC Tenants.

A growing number of cities and states, including California as of Thursday night, have issued shelter-in-place orders. And some other states have launched efforts to provide shelter and limit the spread of the coronavirus among those who are homeless.

Officials in some states have ordered emergency testing, created sanitation stations, rented rooms at hotels and purchased buildings for isolation and quarantine.

This week, California Gov. Gavin Newsome pledged $150 million in emergency funding to move homeless people inside in an effort to contain the virus.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly issued a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures during this health emergency.

Similar preventive measures have not been announced in Missouri.

“We haven’t had a coordinated response, which is likely to worsen the impact of the virus in our state,” said Sarah Owsley Townsend, policy and organizing manager for Empower Missouri. “Failing to respond to this issue within the house-less community will likely be devastating to those individuals but also to the greater community around them.”

Last year, an estimated 6,179 people in Missouri didn’t have a stable place to call home, according to a 2019 federal government report on homelessness. Of those, 707 were family households; 488 were veterans; and 477 were young adults, aged 18-24.

Nearly 1,100 people were considered chronically homeless.

Other states have made it a priority to help the less fortunate during this time of crisis. Multiple surveys have ranked Missouri as one of the least aggressive in addressing this uniquely harmful pandemic.

Our state could pay a steep price for that inaction in the future.