Unfortunately, the homeless people from Las Vegas are directed to sleep in rectangles that were painted on the pavement on a parking lot camp owned by the city.
This is how they’re trying to cease the spread of the coronavirus, a move which has been causing divided opinions on social media.
The former housing chief in the Obama Administration, Julian Castro, said in a Twitter post that the homeless of this city should be placed in empty hotel rooms.
Alyssa Milano, an actress, also supports this notion and claims that these people are being instructed to sleep outdoors while hotel rooms sit empty.
Homeless People Sleep on Parking Lots in Las Vegas
On these parking lots, there are white-lined patches of pavement and they serve as a shelter for the homeless after another one was closed because a man who was staying there tested positive to the virus.
The city explained that they wanted to put these people on the parking lots temporarily instead in buildings #as they wanted to reserve them as a potential need for additional hospital beds in case of overflow.
Jace Radke, a spokesman for the city explained that this open-air shelter is an emergency solution and that this place was chosen because it’s already owned by the city.
They have marked squares to ensure social distancing and they claim they will continue giving temporary support for the homeless.
What’s the Situation like in Other US Parts?
In California, which has the biggest homeless population, thousands of hotel rooms are pledged to be used for the homeless during this pandemic.
The Nevada officials haven’t proposed vacant hotels for the homeless or the popular empty casino resorts.
The resorts were allowed to keep the hotels running to avoid displacing guests or for emergencies; however, all of them have closed since these operations have been closed too.
Many have criticised them for the temporary parking lot shelters.
But, others seem to be supportive of it and are welcoming it, saying this is helping people feel safe and secure, which isn’t the case elsewhere.
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