Miami’s homeless shelter gets emergency cleaning after ill men spark coronavirus fears

Miami’s main homeless shelter underwent an emergency cleaning Sunday after two men staying there fell ill, and one was tested for the coronavirus, officials said.

The Homeless Assistance Center, 1550 North Miami Ave, underwent the cleaning Sunday evening as the two men were moved to nearby apartments, rented by the county’s homeless trust, to be quarantined.

The test on the man is still pending, according to the Miami-Dade Homeless Trust.

“Residents and employees at Chapman continue to practice social distancing, engage in COVID-19 education, and utilize hand sanitizer which is available throughout the campus,” Ron Book, the head of the Homeless Trust, said in a statement. “Anyone showing symptoms of COVID-19 will be referred to Jackson Health for testing; any person tested will be isolated until test results are known.”

The Homeless Trust has been grappling with how to contain the spread of the virus among the county’s large and transient homeless population. More than 1,000 homeless persons remain without shelter on the streets, where practicing proper hygiene is incredibly difficult.

According to the trust, more than 2,500 homeless persons are in area shelters — where the viruses can spread quickly in the close quarters.

The two men were living in a dorm at the facility, commonly called the HAC, which is run by a private company, Chapman Partnership. On Saturday, they were coughing and complained of sore throats.

Miami Fire-Rescue was called to respond. Only one man — for reasons unclear — was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital, while the other one was allowed to remain at the dorm.

The man was tested for COVID-19, but he was released and made his way back to the shelter. He was not allowed to come back inside.

That sparked a flurry of calls between the homeless trust, which owns the shelter, Chapman and county and state health officials. Walking at a distance because they lack protective gear, shelter staffers walked the men to the nearby apartments.

This story was originally published March 22, 2020 at 7:54 PM.