CHRISTMAS is just a week from now. For many of us, the Christmas rush is decorating our homes for the holidays, shopping for presents and planning the noche buena spread to serve to our family while on lockdown because of the continued, yet escalated threat of COVID-19.
However, there are many kababayans whose grave concerns are more basic and ones those who are more fortune take for granted: the roof on top of their head and where to get the next meal to feed their family.
There are now more than 10 million jobless Americans in the United States. More than half a million Americans are homeless.
McDonald’s asked me to create three videos for the Filipino community and the choice was mine to make. For my first story that will premiere on my YouTube Channel this weekend, I will take you to the world of homeless Filipinos in America.
I visited these unfortunate Filipinos in the streets of San Francisco with the help of social worker Juvy Bulacan of the South of Market Community Action Network.
Juvy helps homeless individuals, including many Filipinos. Their nonprofit organization monitors and follow-up on families, especially those who lost their jobs. These social workers help them find affordable housing, connect them to community resources, and help them apply for unemployment insurance benefits.
However, because of the pandemic, jobs are so scarce. With their unemployment benefits running out, these homeless people wonder when they can ever find a job to survive.
Juvy took me to the area near the Victoria Manalo Draves Park, named after the first Filipina American who grew up in the South of Market in San Francisco before going on to win two gold medals in the 1948 Olympic Games.
Just there in the urban jungle, I found crowded tents on the sidewalk. This was where many homeless Filipinos take shelter. No social distancing. No bathrooms. They just rely on facilities found in public parts.
This living condition would make homeless people more vulnerable to the threats of COVID-19. At least 206 homeless people have died by early August in just six cities and counties being tracked, according to a report from the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism. How much more now when more than 313,000 Americans have died, more than 17.4 million infected, and the number of deaths may be approaching 4,000 in one day alone in the United States?
“Many have criticized the federal government for not providing a coordinated response to the pandemic’s impact on homeless people, as well as more resources for testing and tracing. Some have also advocated for racially equitable COVID-19 responses. By early August, people of color, who represent about 24% of the general population, made up about 61% of all COVID-19 infections and 50% of all deaths, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” the Howard Institute reported.
Some of the homeless people are made to stay in transitional homes and hotels that are empty because of COVID restrictions. They are being utilized by local government to give temporary housing to the more vulnerable sectors like the elderly.
I met Yhen Sunga, a single mother to four children, who used to live in the streets within an encampment made of cardboard boxes and was featured in “Box City,” an original documentary by the Filipino Channel’s Balitang America.
Yhen now lives in a homeless shelter but she continues to visit other homeless kababayans still on the streets. She said the pandemic has made the living conditions worse and more dangerous.
There are homeless people like Edwin Maranco who would be given shelter in a single-occupancy hotel but would rather live in the tents because he felt lonely living alone. He yearned the company of other Filipinos.
Juvy told me that the needs of these homeless people are not just shelter and food. Many of them suffer from substance abuse to cope, and unless they seek counseling to address their emotional and psychological issues, they stay trapped in this endless cycle that almost always leads them back to the streets.
I got to know Anthony Sambrano and his three young sons. Anthony is staying in transitional housing for people with disabilities. He is one of the many Filipinos struggling to afford San Francisco’s high cost of living.
Juvy took me to Mint Mall in SOMA. Unfortunately, several Filipino businesses and tenants have been evicted from this last remaining hub for Filipinos in San Francisco.
I met Geraldine Embalzado, a nursing graduate from Davao, Philippines. She was petitioned by her husband but could not work because she needs to take care of their children and would not be able to afford the high cost of child care.
Geraldine’s family lives in a cramped studio unit at the Mint Mall, already considered to be giving more affordable housing for Filipinos. But affordable seems not the accurate word to describe paying $1,900 for their studio.
High rise luxury apartments in the city have gentrified the area, displacing many immigrant communities who cannot afford rent in the city where they grew up and work for a living. These sad realities make people resort to drastic measures like living in the car, or the streets, or in tents.
Not all homeless people are jobless or mendicant. Before the pandemic, about 25% to 50% of them were working.
In the era of COVID-19, however, the Pulitzer Center reports that “many homeless employees are working low-wage essential jobs that put them at risk of catching or spreading the virus.”
Juvy said these homeless people need all the help. These people need food, clothes, blankets, most especially.
It was my privilege to give food donations to the homeless from McDonald’s even just for this day during the Christmas season.
For all of us who are more fortunate in life, let us try to help them even in small ways so they know they are not alone. Let the spirit of Bayanihan live among us and usher in hope for the homeless Filipinos for a better brighter new year.
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The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
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Gel Santos Relos has been in news, talk, public service and educational broadcasting since 1989 with ABS-CBN and is now serving the Filipino audience using different platforms, including digital broadcasting, and print, and is working on a new public service program for the community. You may contact her through email at [email protected], or send her a message via Facebook at Facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos.
Where can we donate food, clothes, blankets etc.?