UNC Asheville Student Megan Clay Launches “Corona Tent Project” to Assist Homeless

#coronatentproject

By UNC Asheville

April 15^th, 2020

With local and state governments across the country issuing “Stay Home” orders to protect against the spread of COVID-19, UNC Asheville junior Megan Clay had a question: what would happen to those who had no home?

“I’ve just been feeling so blessed to have shelter,” said Clay, a sociology major and secretary of the Sociology and Anthropology Club. “When the rule is to stay in your home, and you don’t have a home, where do you go? Often people are told to seek out shelters, but the shelters are overcrowded, which is a problem for a pandemic.”

UNC Asheville Student Megan Clay Launches “Corona Tent Project” to Assist Homeless

Inspired by activist Glo Merriweather in Charlotte, NC, Clay partnered with local nonprofit BeLoved Asheville to fundraise and purchase tents to be distributed to those with no other way to safely isolate themselves.

“Here in Asheville we’re lucky to have a lot of people focused on food insecurity, so it seemed like they already had a lot of people working in that area,” Clay said. Housing, however, was still a local challenge. “Let’s try to get some tents to people so that they can have somewhere to quarantine if they need to, temporarily, until some more permanent solutions to housing are found.”

So far Clay has been able to purchase around 25 tents, which are then distributed to the community in need through BeLoved Asheville’s street medic team.

For Clay, seeking out ways to stay engaged with the community was nothing new. Her connection with BeLoved Asheville began in her class, Health Justice: From Data to Action, with Ameena Batada, associate professor of health and wellness. “These kinds of things have already been at the forefront of my mind,” Clay said. “It’s something that I’m already working on. The issues I’d already been seeing are being amplified by COVID-19.”

Since Clay began her project, North Carolina has received approval from FEMA to use hotels, motels, and even dorms for people with unstable housing during the coronavirus outbreak. Harrah’s Cherokee Center in Asheville will shelter about 50 people, with some mattresses donated from UNC Asheville.

Meanwhile, Clay’s fundraiser continues (see the end of the story for detail on how to contribute) and Clay recommends following the advice of Mister Rogers: look for the helpers. Better yet, be a helper.

“Plug in with groups like BeLoved and donate your time or your money, or advocate on behalf of those organizations or groups,” Clay said. “But also just check in with the people that you know, the people on your street, your neighbors, your friends and family… even if people just need someone to talk to. A lot of people are needing connection right now; don’t be afraid to reach and check on them or talk to them about what you need. And more than that, stay home and respect social distancing and waiting this thing out. I know it’s hard, but we’re doing it for a very good reason.”

For more information and to donate, visit #coronatentproject on Instagram.

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