In Manassas Park, there are currently 96 cases of the coronavirus with 11 people hospitalized, and two people have died from the disease.
As city leaders continue to see the number of coronavirus cases across the region rise, they’re also now turning their attention to the homeless community affected by the coronavirus. So far in the greater Prince William County region to include Manassas and Manassas Park, a total of 17 homeless people have contracted coronavirus.
The situation prompted the Manassas Park Director of Social Services for Manassas Park, Randi Knights, to provide an update to the city’s Governing Body at its meeting on Tuesday, May 5.
The city is part of a Homeless Crisis Response Plan created by the Prince William County Department of Social Services, to address the needs of the homeless in the region during the coronavirus pandemic.
So far, homeless residents who have tested positive for the disease are being housed in an Econo Lodge, at 17005 Dumfries Road near Dumfries. According to Knights, there were 17 individuals being housed at this location as of Friday who either tested positive for the coronavirus or met one of the other criteria.
Several hotels in western Prince William County have volunteered to provide a second location for quarantining the homeless, but there has been no need for a secondary location yet, explained Knights.
Additionally, Knights assured the Governing Body that all homeless people in Manassas Park have a means of seeking help should they need a space in the designated hotels. Prince William County has a special website dedicated to its response to the coronavirus, which includes a phone number to call for help.
“We are looking at what we can do for them to get healthy … and hopefully get out to some type of permanent housing,” Knights said.
In addition to the homeless, local government officials are also assisting at-risk groups among the homeless population such as those 60 years and older, or those who have underlying medical conditions, said Knights.
On April 14, the Prince William Board of Supervisors appropriated a one-time budget of $600,000 to fund the plan. The money will be reimbursed by the Federal Government federally reimbursed if the plan meets guidelines set forth by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Jeanine Gravette, the Prince William County Department of Social Services Program Manager for this plan, will be overseeing the project to ensure that all requirements for funding are met, Manassas Park city leaders were told.
