Abstract
Coronavirus revealed the contradictory ways the State manages homelessness. This paper examines punitive welfare efforts directed at individuals experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2022 in New York City. Using select quantitative data and qualitative interviews with service providers and sheltered-homeless residents, this paper contextualizes the treatment of unhoused people within the larger framework of Biopolitics/Biopower and modern capitalism. This paper argues that the social distancing and cleaning efforts alongside intensified policing of homeless individuals increased their vulnerability to premature death. New York City’s strategies deployed during COVID-19 simultaneously provided resources while criminalizing individuals experiencing homelessness. While strategies used were unique, the treatment of unhoused New Yorkers reflects a larger structural response to eliminate surplus populations during cyclical economic crises.
Presenters
Odilka SantiagoAssistant Professor, Sociology, University of San Diego, California, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Interdisciplinary Health Sciences
KEYWORDS
Homeless, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Shelter, New York City, Biopower, Biopolitics
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