Items

• 2020-03-06

  Going Home

  At the start of the pandemic I was a freshmen in college at the University of South Carolina. We went on Spring Break and never came back to school for the rest of the semester. Classes were all online for about the next year, but I rented an apartment in Columbia so I could still be at school.
• 
  2021-08-16

  Fall 2021: Another Semester of Transition

  Returning to campus in Fall 2021 after three semesters at home has been interesting, to say the least. It has been a semester of transition and relearning for students, faculty, and staff. Fall 2021 semester has required learning to be away from family again, living in dorms, being in a classroom, etc. As a first-time resident assistant during this time of great change and uncertainty, there has been a learning curve. Being a resident assistant and working for the office of residence life has made it clear that covid-19 changed the way students experienced college. It's evident that the current student population (first-year students to fourth-year students) do not share a “normal” first-year experience. Fall 2019 first-year students never experienced a complete spring semester on campus. Fall 2020 first-year students had the option to live on campus but all classes and all or most campus resources were virtual. Fall 2021 first-year students are the first group to experience St. Mary's as it is now with its current policies. As a resident assistant during this time, it is imperative to take these unique experiences into account when serving as a campus resource. Covid-19 has also required the implementation of policies to keep the community safe. For the dorm halls, resident assistants are the ones to uphold and enforce policies that require residents to wear facemasks outside of their personal living spaces. So, in an already complicated and uncertain time, resident assistants must hold each other and their peers accountable.
• 
  2020-04-16

  Infographic: 8 Big Ways Coronavirus Impacts Latinos

  This infographic and the accompanying articles discuss the disproportionate impact that coronavirus has on Latino communities.
• 
  2021-04-23

  Yang Not Getting LGBTQ Support for NYC Mayor

  People in the LGBTQ community feel that the former Democratic Presential nominee is not out for their best interest but instead is just using them for their vote. They feel like he should push more for homelessness, housing, healthcare, and other issues important to the LGBTQ people but Mr. Yang says he loves and supports the community. He is running for New York City mayor and is the former nominee of the democratic party.
• 
  2020-06-08

  A Balancing Act on Fire

  Although the meme is meant to be comedic, I feel that it reflects the reality of the stressors many people faced during the pandemic. To begin, the anxiety that the coronavirus disease brought into the public severely affected the mental health of many individuals across the globe. During the mandated lockdowns, I , like many others around me, began experiencing a decline in my happy hormones. At the time the pandemic restrictions were being put into place, I was living on campus with three other roommates. With the fear of spreading the disease unintentionally, the three moved out of the dorm right away and I was left to be on my own due to personal housing issues taking place at the time. The lack of interaction with anyone took a toll on my mental health. I missed my friends and my mom, I just wanted to be around someone, but we could only have visitors if they were helping us move out. On top of personal mental health struggles, events taking place across the country were also scarring. Protests in response to racial injustice under an administration that made it hard to feel safe unless you were a white male in America only added to the helpless state of being. Watching cases upon cases of unjustifiable abuse made the environment only more threatening than it initially seemed when the pandemic was first reported. The election of November 2020 was suspenseful in terms of who would be elected could potentially determine vital living situations for people all across the United States, whether it be immigrant status, being a person of color, or not being able to afford paying for housing in general. Financial troubles took over the country and the stimulus checks were not enough to cover housing, food, home essentials, especially when some dependents and entire families were not able to receive help because of their citizenship or dependent status. Many tried to turn towards their faith, the keyword being “tried.” Although not all religions focus on gatherings or physical objects, many people were unable to get access to these common preferred forms of practice and felt that virtual gatherings seemed ingenuine or illegitimate. Overall, the COVID-19 pandemic had many more severe effects on a global scale in all aspects of life. From concerns of the health of others, oneself, finances, practice of faith, and fear of safety in your own home, the negative effects are consistent as it seems that everything continues to pose a threat to daily living. I hope that everything eventually falls back into place and that justice is put in place so that people do not have to fear their own existence.
• 
  2021-04-17

  The Crisis in a Crisis

  This news article is about how COVID and homelessness have disproportionately affected families and especially black women. These are the two groups who are most likely to be benefitting from the rent moratorium right now. And as a result, they will be the groups most in danger of losing their housing once the moratorium expires. I wanted to include this story because it provides a perspective on homelessness that goes beyond people currently experiencing homelessness. People who are taking advantage of the moratorium are essentially on the verge of homelessness because they have no way to pay back that rent. This story highlights the fragile housing market and the economic situation that COVID placed many families under and the long-term economic consequences that come from this situation.
• 
  2020-06-04

  Selling during COVID

  This is an article about selling a house during COVID. I wanted to include this source because one of my interviewees discussed some of the anxiety and stress that they experienced while trying to sell their home in March of 2020. This article provides context for what it is like to sell a home during COVID and how that market has changed. This article is by a realtor and provides advice and comparisons to what it may be like to sell a home during COVID and how that compares to selling during another crisis such as a recession.
• 
  2021

  ASU COVID Resources

  This is the Arizona State University-specific COVID-19 resources for students. I wanted to include this University's specific resources because one of the people I interviewed attends ASU as a student and I want to provide this source as a supplement for some of the difficulty that he mentioned having in finding resources while living as a person experiencing housing instability. The website houses all messages and updates the university has sent to students with regard to the Coronavirus. The site focuses on health and staying healthy for students but seems to lack a clear guide on how to access resources and aid that students may qualify for.
• 
  2019

  Homeless and Homes

  This article reports that they are over 17 million empty homes in the United States which greatly outnumbers the amount of homeless people in the country. The article then goes on to describe the location and other demographics of where these homes are. I wanted to include this article because it shows that we have the resources for people to not be homeless during the pandemic but there seems to be no incentive or interest in addressing this problem. The number of homes is so much greater and it could greatly mitigate some of the health and exposure issues homeless populations experience. This will allow me to show how homeless people are traditionally not even considered in resources.
• 
  2021-03-30

  Landlording During the Pandemic

  This article discusses how despite initial assumptions that landlords may have been harmed during the Coronavirus they have actually been seeing large profits. Understanding that landlords are still earning money and turning a profit. This idea is in direct violation of the narrative that these eviction moratoriums are harmful to landlords. I wanted to include this article because I think to understand homelessness you also have to understand property ownership and landlording. I'll use the article to provide examples about how the homelessness experienced during the pandemic was preventable and how the pandemic has been kinder to landlords than to homeless people.
• 
  2021-03-28

  Arizona Department of Housing

  The two main parts of this website are eviction protection and foreclosure protection. The eviction and foreclosure programs have become more robust as a result of the pandemic and the way that it has put more strain on people's housing situations. The site also has a specific section regarding assistance specific to the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID health focuses on mortgage assistance for homeowners. There seem to be some gaps on this site for renters who typically have closer proximity to housing instability and would need more assistance ensuring that they don't experience homelessness. I want to specifically examine the gaps that this site has and the specific type of assistance that it does offer.
• 
  2021

  Housing Resources Tempe

  I chose this article because it provides a list of housing resources for Tempe. The resources covered here are section 8 housing and other rental assistance programs. The city has its own stated homeless assistance program. In their section for COVID-19 assistance. Specifically, in the COVID-19 section, it states that there will no longer be in-person meetings due to safety reasons and that things will either be done over the phone or online. For my research, I want to focus on how these measures leave behind a lot of people who may not have access to a phone or internet and how that exacerbates the issues people experience with housing instability because they are unable to get resources. I want to really focus on processes with this resource.
• 
  2021-02-27

  Housing Instability

  This article discusses the way that housing instability has begun to disproportionately affect black people during COVID. Black people typically face a myriad of intersectional issues that come from a lack of resources or economic support. As people were being laid off at the start of COVID black people of course were disproportionately more affected which in turn can be seen in a lack of stable housing. This in turn serves to make black people more susceptible to catching and being more affected by the conditions created by the pandemic. Housing is an important issue that leads to other things like health and safety. This leads to cyclical poverty which is only made worse by racial positionality and the pandemic.
• 
  2021-02-07

  Canada's LGBTQ+ Community Struggles with Housing & Health (On Top of the Discrimination)

  Unfortunately, the LGBTQ+ community is no stranger to discrimination. From school, to work, to finding a safe place to stay. We have heard about campuses closing due to the pandemic, and thus left many in the community to reevaluate their housing options. Some have had to return to their family home, despite some of those homes being less than accepting of them. With everyone concerned over their health, it is only right to allow everyone to feel safe where they live, too. However, this does not only affect the youth populations. The older members of the community have also been struggling with housing and healthcare. As one of the linked articles wrote, there is a lack of data collection regarding the LGBTQ+ populations. Their needs and concerns cannot be tackled with if the data were never there to begin with. It seems to go downhill from here as health concerns increase while their mental health deteriorates.
• 
  2020-12-11

  Suffolk University Houses Medical Workers During Pandemic

  In this article, written by Caroline Enos from Suffolk University, it states how Suffolk was willing to open its arms to the medical workers in the area. This article really resonates with me because these are the same rooms that I lived in as a freshman, and now they are being gifted to medical workers. These 30 staff members who are working at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, are scared to go home to their families in hopes they would not get them sick. This article is definitely something of interest for future historians because it shows parts of the Boston community coming together to help each other and stay safe in the midst of a deadly virus. The story also resonates with members of my generation because we are seeing our University step up and give back to our community.
• 
  2020-09-24

  Trudeau talks about the importance of health and safety of Canadians right now. Meanwhile...

  Nunavut MP Mumliaaq Qaqqaq shares photos of toxic mould from local homes via. Twitter, an issue ignored by the federal government in the wake of other health concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 
  2020-12-28

  Canada's New Democratic Party will fight for 'massive investments' in northern housing

  New Democratic Party (NDP) Leader Jagmeet Singh says his party will push the federal government to make “massive investments” in affordable and environmentally friendly housing as part of its Covid-19 recovery plan.
• 
  2029-03-25

  Ormond College Student Update, 25 March 2020

  HIST30060 This is an email from March 2020, describing the introduction of strict new COVID restrictions at Ormond College, the largest residential College at UniMelb. As the document describes, this meant that any students who remained on campus went into full "lock-in" -- they were not allowed to leave at all, not even for essential shopping as per the rest of the state. This caused many students to flee campus and end up in unstable short-term accomodation, rentals, and sublet's (myself included). This email goes some way to demonstrate the impact of COVID on specific communities such as residential colleges, and on students more broadly. Beyond this, it's personally impactful to me because this email signalled that I had less than a day to make the decision between being homeless and remaining locked-in at College. Like many, I chose homelessness and eventually ended up in a sublet with friends-of-friends.
• 
  2020-10-19

  Don’t forget the tongs

  The closer we get to Halloween the more I’m seeing the creative ways in which people are safely trying to keep the celebration going. This reminder was posted on the Facebook page of Marine Corps base of Hawaii page. My family was stationed there last year and still follow the page now. I chuckled a little when I saw one of the requirements -please use tings while giving away candy. It seems so silly but I guess what ever keeps people safe right? I can understand people’s need to get out and socialize, it seems like very few are willing to continue social distancing. At least people are trying to find alternatives like passing out candy with tongs. Hopefully they won’t get a wave of new COVID cases in base.
• 
  2020-03-09

  Student Dorm Closures: Impact on Students

  COVID-19 caused St. Mary's University to shut down rapidly on campus after spring break. Most students didn't return after spring break, and had to make later plans to return to get their personal items (including clothes, textbooks, and other items that they may have urgently needed). Some students, who didn't have a place to return to, worked with St. Mary's residence life to make arrangements to remain in the dorms. Students who stayed faced a unique set of challenges and uncertainty with what lay ahead. Combined degree student (undergraduate and graduate) Glory Turnbull, a resident in on campus housing, reflects in this oral history on what these rapid closures of campus meant to them.
• 
  2020-08-22

  ‘We don't turn anyone away’: As virus forces some nonprofits to cut hours and services, refugee aid group works overtime

  by Jessica Myers for the Luce Foundation: Southwest Stories Fellowship
• March 31, 2020

  COVID Share Your Story #RITtigers #21, Accounting Major's Point of view

  It has been very difficult. I just finished moving into a new housing assignment after dealing with a demon roommate, then less than a week later RIT made us all leave. Two times in a week I had to move all my things by myself. My family lives in Los Angeles and all my friends were home so I had no one to help me. I've been fighting with both the California and New York DMVs to get my car registered for the last year, so my car is unregistered and I couldn't go anywhere. Luckily my aunt rented me a car so I could drive to St. Louis to stay with my grandfather. My mom didn't want me to drive to LA by myself, even though I've driven from LA to Rochester twice, but with my mom. My cat Poppy and I drove the 12 hours from Rochester to St. Louis in two days. I don't really like St. Louis or LA, I'd so much rather just be in Rochester, mostly because I've never been able to get a job there and I have a job on campus. In terms of classes being all online, I think it will be helpful for me. None of my professors are doing synchronized zoom meetings so I don't have to get up for class anymore. This is good because I didn't go to class all the time anyway. I can do the coursework more on my own terms now. I'm retaking a class I failed last semester and I think I'll pass this time not only because the class is exactly the same, but because the tests are open book and aren't under a time limit because they're online. If I could give a message to myself at the start of this semester, what would I say? Be ready for challenges and approach them creatively. Adapt to the situations at hand.
• 
  March 20, 2020

  Letter of Rejection for Extended Stay in RIT Housing

  All students were requested to leave campus housing at RIT by April 5, but could petition to stay beyond that. This was the email that I received from RIT’s Case Management Team stating that I couldn’t stay in my apartment until May 9th despite my extenuating circumstances. I feel that this showed a lack of compassion and understanding from RIT.
• 
  March 16, 2020

  RIT cancels housing-03/16/2020

  RIT orders all students to leave RIT housing by April 5th. Students can apply for exemptions, especially international students. This has caused my friends to move home and consequently leaving me friendless.
• 
  2020-06-01

  COVID-19 RESOURCE GUIDE FOR BOSTON'S IMMIGRANTS

  The Immigrant Advancement office at the Boston Mayor's office posted a resource guide for Boston immigrants. Immigrant communities have been hit hard by the pandemic as many of those in the community are essential workers who have continued to work throughout the pandemic. The guide includes resources for those in need of food, childcare, medical care, and immigration help.
• 
  2020-06-24

  Toronto wants to offer free hotel rooms to people with COVID-19 who can’t isolate at home

  "Toronto officials want to be able to offer free hotel rooms to people contagious with COVID-19 but unable to isolate in their own crowded homes." "Toronto virus hotspots include low-income areas where many people live in crowded circumstances and don’t have room at home to self-isolate."
• 
  2020-06-03

  Lawyers for Civil Rights Boston, COVID Resources

  Lawyers for Civil Rights Boston offer resources for legal, medical, unemployment, housing, and economic support on their COVID response webpage . This document is in English and the site also offers translations in Spanish, Mandarin, and Vietnamese. While the world shut down for the pandemic, ICE continued to detain and deport immigrants here in the US, and the Black Lives Matter movement's response to police brutality sparked a number of arrests. Boston's Lawyers for Civil Rights organization has continued to offer legal support for those in need and has kept a running page of legal updates.
• 
  2020-03-23

  Article for The Foundation for Young Australians: Social Distancing in a Share House

  'Social Distancing in a Share House' is an article I wrote for The Foundation for Young Australians about how to minimise the risk of contagion while living in a shared house and be thoughtful about sharing space with others during these stressful times. The article followed discussions with my housemates where we were unclear on how to keep everyone safe while maintaining autonomy and/or continuing with essential work.
• 
  2020-06-16

  How the Airbnb ban led to lower rental prices in Canada's major cities

  Many of Canada's largest cities have been experiencing what have been dubbed housing crises in the past few years; rental and purchasing prices have shot through the roof while availability shrinks, pushing out many poor or even middle class residents. This article explores how the drop in demand and government restrictions for AirBnBs (short term online rentals), as a result of the pandemic has impacted the market. To ensure they are still receiving income from their properties many who were renting their units for short term stays are instead turning to leasing them out traditionally, causing an influx in housing availability and driving the prices down with the increased supply. While this is not the best for those looking to turn a profit off their real estate it is an unexpected benefit of the pandemic for many average citizens.
• 
  2020-05-27

  Keep Your Rent Poster: 'Didn't Pay Your Rent? What Comes Next?"

  A flyer/poster stapled to an electrical/telephone pole at the corner of McArthur Avenue and the Vanier Parkway, next to a now well known mural in support of frontline workers and across the street from a large grocery store. The area around this pole hosts several apartment tours and the Vanier neighbourhood has a reputation as an area which, in some part, hosts numerous impoverished individuals. The poster is promoting the movement for non payment of rent if circumstances are such that it is impossible during the pandemic, and the prevention of eviction during the pandemic. This is a contensious issue; there are those who feel landlords are profiting from misery and the basic need for shelter while others do not feel depriving landlords of income is the answer and that the renting of properties is a perfectly legitimate method of earning a living. The sign reads "DIDN'T PAY YOUR RENT?/ WHAT COMES NEXT?/ Jobs lost./ Hours cut./ Bills to pay./ Families to feed./ CONNECT WITH YOUR NEIGHBOURS" followed by several different contacts
• 
  2020-05-20

  Toronto renters are now staging protests outside the mansions of their landlords

  As many are struggling to pay their rent due to reduced earning potential or lay offs due to the pandemic, the #KeepYourRent movement has emerged urging nonpayment of rent. To highlight the perceived hypocrisy of landlords and their organizations demanding rent, and claiming they will themselves face hardship without the income, this article discusses tenants protesting in front of the estates of their landlords and the reactions of the landlords to this event.
• 2020-05-19

  The New "Normal"

• 2020-05-19

  Helping The One I Love

• 
  2020-04-06

  "Student Tuition at Nevada Universities Change Due To Covid-19"

  This resource related to the pandemic because it talks about how higher educational institutions in the state of Nevada are dealing with the virus of Covid-19. Stating how things are changing and how it is affecting their students as well as faculty. *Nevada System of Higher Education Chancellor Thom Reilly *Audio source from knpr.org
• 2020-04-22

  Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups

  This is an report form the CDC giving statistics of the rate in when Black and Brown people are disproportionately affected by COVID-19
• 
  2020-04-06

  Yavapai-Apache Nation Tribal Council Ensures that No Tribal Citizen Loses Home During Pandemic

  Resolution passed to suspend evictions under housing programs managed by tribal housing to "avoid the risk of residents losing their homes in this difficult time." #IndigenousStories
• 
  2020-03-31

  Tribal Leaders Worried about Being Left Out of Conversation in Washington, D.C. on COVID-funding

  "Even before the COVID-19 public health crisis began to grip the globe, Indian Country faced significant challenges from underfunding in health care, education, broadband and internet access, economic development, housing, human services and more." As a result, tribal leaders held a March 20 teleconference to discuss their next move. #IndigenousStories
• 
  2020-04-11

  Bono independiente

  Ministerio de Trabajo @MTPE_Peru Warning sign #BonoIndependiente | Con relación al subsidio monetario que recibirán cerca de 780 mil hogares vulnerables con trabajadores independientes, en el marco de la emergencia sanitaria por la #COVID19, el #MTPE informa lo siguiente:
• 
  2020-04-11

  Homeless children and #DíaDeLaNiñezEnElPerú

  #DíaDeLaNiñezEnElPerú Niñez y adolescencia demandan una protección especial durante el #EstadoDeEmergencia, especialmente, niñas/os en situación de calle, con discapacidad, indígenas, migrantes, víctimas de violencia, entre otras/os. Right pointing backhand index https://bit.ly/3a1ubyL
• 
  2020-03-23

  Photo of my building management’s response to COVID rent concerns

  There was a grassroots campaign to not pay rent on April 1 as a response and reaction to the ontario government announcing relief for mortgages and utilities with a hope the “social contract” would mean it would be paid forward to tenants. Our building is owned by a non profit entity that works to provide afforable housing in the community - this was in our mailbox shortly before april 1st.
• 
  2020-03-14

  Emerson College University Email

  An email sent out to students in the midst of the COVID-19 epidemic, explaining how it was affecting Emerson College moving forward. #HIST5241 *Meg Szydlik, Northeastern University, HIST 5241