Professor Stephen Gaetz is keeping a close eye on how homeless populations are faring as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds in Ontario. The York University Faculty of Education professor is president of the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, an organization that researches homelessness and poverty with partners in Canada and around the world, publishing findings through its website, the Homeless Hub.
"Chronically homeless people’s health deteriorates quite dramatically by being exposed to homelessness over time," says Gaetz. "The research suggests that a 50-year-old person who is chronically homeless has the body and health of a 65-year-old. That means that we have a population that, if it's exposed to something like coronavirus — that basically has the worst health outcomes for people who have pre-existing conditions, who are older, who have lung problems, that kind of thing — they're very vulnerable."