LISTEN: In this audio portrait of homeless people displaced by the Trump administration’s crackdown on encampments in the nation’s capital, KFF Health News senior correspondent Angela Hart tells of residents living outside this winter and their search for medical care and shelter.
January’s extreme cold has put a spotlight on the conditions homeless people face. They get sicker and die younger than housed people, often because health problems go untreated. The Trump administration’s removal of homeless tent encampments in Washington, D.C., has made it more difficult for health workers to reach that vulnerable population this winter.
KFF Health News senior correspondent Angela Hart takes WAMU “Health Hub” listeners to Washington’s streets to hear how homeless people are juggling their health and shelter after the Trump administration’s crackdown.
Washington’s Homeless Hide in Plain Sight, Growing Sicker and Costing Taxpayers More
The White House says encampment sweeps have enhanced the capital, but city leaders estimate nearly 700 homeless people roam by day and bed down outdoors by night. Some have scattered to the suburbs while others avoid detection, making it hard for medical providers to care for them.
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