Experiencing Homelessness During COVID-19: A Collaborative Research Study

Cottage Center for Population Health and Santa Barbara Alliance for Community Transformation (SB ACT) led a collaborative research study in 2020 to help understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people experiencing homelessness. Individuals experiencing homelessness joined as co-researchers and shared their experiences during the early days of the pandemic.

Co-researchers were asked to take pictures reflecting their thoughts and feelings in response to the following prompt:

What do we want those in power to know about us and our everyday struggles with homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic?

In group discussions, co-researchers shared thoughts on exacerbated daily challenges, policy contradictions, and increased marginalization. For example, people were encouraged to increase personal sanitation, while public facilities were closed. Co-researchers also emphasized the importance of having a voice in decisions affecting them.

This photo exhibit is intended to honor the co-researchers by sharing their voices with the community.

Photographs and captions were created by 38 study co-researchers, members of the Santa Barbara community who were or are experiencing homelessness. By request, their names have been kept confidential. We honor and remember those who have passed away since the research began.