Pandemic Worsens ‘Already Fragile’ Situation For Homeless Youth And Young Adults

Johanna Vasquez, 19, and her 4-month-old baby ended up at Malta House in Norwalk as a result of an abusive relationship. Vasquez’s boyfriend hit her, she said, because he was home without a job and “was stressed.”

In Hartford, Bridget Puntiel, a youth, mostly rides the buses day and night to stay safe. “I’m on the street [because] the shelters are flooded,” she said. Samiah Nikole, 16, thought she had a place to live – until she had to find another due to her boyfriend’s mother’s asthma. Although their circumstances are varied, these three young women have one common denominator – the coronavirus pandemic.