DAVENPORT, IOWA – Now that winter has started, additional beds are available for the homeless in the Quad Cities. Each year about December first, local agencies expect more people to need a warm place to sleep.
Christie Adamson, Assistant Director of Humility Homes and Services, says in past winters they’ve hosted an additional 60 to 70 people per night, in addition to the regular residents of the shelter. But with the pandemic, they’re expecting as many as 100 more people each night.
“So for a lot of people that maybe have lower incomes, lower wage jobs, that were eliminated because of businesses closing during the pandemic, or even shutting down temporarily, they’re certainly finding themselves in predicaments where they can’t pay rent.”
She believes some of the “new” homeless people have actually been homeless already but living with family or friends.
“But because of the additional stresses related to the pandemic, I think some people’s time has been cut shorter and so we’re seeing more people enter the system that maybe aunts, or cousins or brother or friend just also didn’t have any resources and couldn’t continue to help.”
Adamson says another result of the pandemic is that Kings Harvest in downtown Davenport will not be used as an overflow shelter this winter. Instead people needing a place to stay should go to the main shelter at 1016 West 5th Street that’s been set up to be safe by allowing for social distancing.