Everything You Need to Know about LifeMoves

Headquartered in Redwood City, California, LifeMoves has provided meals, shelter, and essential services to people experiencing homelessness throughout Silicon Valley since 1987. In this article, we look at the impact of this nonprofit organization.

Recently, Bruce Ives, the CEO of LifeMoves, announced the creation of the LifeMoves Emergency Relief Fund, which aims to support people experiencing homelessness who face increased risks amid COVID-19, which is posing challenges to communities across the nation.

Mr. Ives pointed out that the community is dealing with an unprecedented public health emergency that is affecting everyone and emphasized that LifeMoves remains committed to helping individuals experiencing homelessness throughout the region who face significant challenges posed by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Making a difference

LifeMoves maintains a dedication to assisting people in need throughout Silicon Valley, as well as the wider community, and recognizes that the population experiencing homelessness is particularly vulnerable to the risks presented by COVID-19.

In addition, LifeMoves is effectively doubling its efforts to protect vulnerable populations in communities throughout the region. The organization aims to do so in a number of ways: by carrying out deeper and more frequent cleaning, promoting better hygiene, making contingency plans, and monitoring for illness.

For more than 30 years, LifeMoves has focused on offering shelter and needed services to individuals experiencing homelessness, but the organization is now facing additional costs. The costs associated with protective gear, cleaning supplies, and specialist cleaning services have risen significantly. The organization is also facing rising food prices and higher costs associated with covering relief staff.

Grappling with higher costs

The price increases are impacting all 23 LifeMoves Shelters and Service Centers throughout Silicon Valley, which provide accommodations for more than 900 individuals. The LifeMoves Emergency Response Fund was created to enable members of the public to donate directly to the organization’s efforts to tackle COVID-19, with some of the organization’s generous patrons offering to match all of the funds raised and helping LifeMoves to make double the impact in terms of fighting COVID-19.

A look at COVID-19

Also known as coronavirus, COVID-19 is a highly infectious virus that can trigger a variety of different symptoms, including fever; a dry, persistent cough; shortness of breath; a sore throat; muscle aches; and the loss of smell or taste. These symptoms can prove extremely severe in some individuals and trigger pneumonia, which can be life-threatening.

COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus. There are numerous different types of coronavirus, several of which cause disease in humans. COVID-19 is a newly identified type of virus that can cause serious respiratory illness. It spreads extremely fast from one person to another. The disease is diagnosed through laboratory testing, and there is no known vaccine or cure.

Methods to prevent COVID-19 include adhering to a scrupulous hygiene routine, particularly handwashing. Healthcare experts around the world say that you should cough or sneeze into a tissue before discarding it, or into the bend of your elbow. Experts advise individuals who are experiencing coronavirus to self-isolate in their homes and to avoid contact with other people. In addition, many advocate for social distancing.

How COVID-19 is transmitted

Scientists agree that COVID-19 made the leap to humans relatively recently. Early hypotheses suggest the first instance of COVID-19 in a human host occurred in a seafood market in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, when visitors began developing viral pneumonia. The theory is the subject of much debate, however, with some experts speculating that the disease may have been infecting humans for much longer.
Researchers know that the virus is spread through droplets that are propelled into the air when an infected individual sneezes or coughs. These droplets typically do not travel farther than a few feet and generally fall on the ground or surfaces within a few seconds. This is why social distancing is so important in limiting transmission.

People experiencing homelessness face many risks

Individuals experiencing homelessness are particularly vulnerable to developing serious illnesses through exposure to COVID-19. It is vital that homeless services and support are stepped up in order to avoid dire consequences for people in need across the United States.

Individuals who live on the streets or in overcrowded shelters are unable to practice effective social distancing. Many cities are grappling with two public health crises, with homelessness and COVID-19 converging head-on, so it is more important than ever that people rally to support people in need in their communities.