Vaccine outreach planned for the homeless in Astoria
Apr. 12—In an effort to get coronavirus vaccinations to the homeless, Clatsop Community Action will hold a wellness event in Astoria this month.
The homeless became eligible to receive the vaccine in March, part of a group that included seafood and agricultural workers, as well as people displaced by wildfires. But they are one of the more challenging populations to reach.
The wellness event is set for April 29 at the Astoria Armory. Clatsop Community Action hopes to attract about 50 people and will be offering the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, depending on supplies available from the Clatsop County Public Health Department.
The Oregonian reported Sunday that Oregon will receive far fewer doses of this vaccine than previously expected — a mere 7,300 doses from the federal government, down from the 61,400 doses expected.
Planning for the wellness event only began recently. Organizers say it will be a sort of mini version of the annual Project Homeless Connect event held in Seaside. That event includes a count of the homeless population and seeks to connect people to services.
"We're trying to do the best we can in such a short time," said Viviana Matthews, the executive director of Clatsop Community Action.
Though vaccinations are the impetus for the wellness event, the social services agency is bringing in a shower station and will provide to-go meals and bags of hygiene items for attendees. The recovery ally team from Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare will be on site. Matthews also hopes to be able to provide assistance with Oregon Health Plan enrollment and free haircuts.
The agency and its partners have often heard there is a need for a Homeless Connect-style event in the spring, Matthews added.
"We'd like to see as many vaccinations as we can," said Susan Prettyman, the social services program manager for Clatsop Community Action, "but even one vaccine in an arm is better than zero."
Homeless advocates and researchers believe the coronavirus has had a far greater impact on homeless populations than is reflected in official data.
Clatsop Community Action has provided wraparound services — meals, laundry, lodging, transportation — to people who had to quarantine after they became infected with the coronavirus. A major outbreak among workers at Pacific Seafood formed a substantial bulk of the people the agency served, but the homeless have been a significant portion as well, Matthews said.
Certainly, the pandemic has made outreach even more difficult on the North Coast. Many social services and advocacy offices are operating in a more limited way while access to public libraries — with computers and free internet — has also been limited.
With the wellness event, Matthews wants to make sure people have access to the information they need to make a decision about the vaccine, and then have the option to receive it.
The nonprofit CARE, Inc., a social services agency in Tillamook, organized a similar event at the end of March in that city. Billed as "Homeless Connect (Part 2)," it offered a variety of services and resources, but the primary purpose was to offer the coronavirus vaccine to people in the community who are homeless or at high risk of becoming homeless.
Around 40 people attended the event — most of them existing clients of CARE. Of those, 20 were vaccinated, according to Peter Starkey, executive director of CARE. The nonprofit also provided shelter for two nights to people who received the vaccine.
Clatsop Community Action is in conversation with the Astoria Warming Center and area hotels to provide a safe place for people to go if they feel ill after receiving the vaccine.
