We Are All in This Together How Six Women Are Helping to Care for Austin’s Homeless Population BY POOJA SETHI
Pooja Sethi is an immigration attorney with her own practice. She also provides pro bono services to immigrant clients who are victims of sexual assault and domestic violence.
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n Austin, approximately 2,500 people are without any sort of home. Austin’s homeless numbers have gone up in recent years due to social issues. Moreover, this number is expected to increase due to the coronavirus. The effects of the virus—which spreads through airborne particles transmitted from person to person—has caused most cities and states in the U.S. to issue “stay-at-home” orders requiring all non-essential businesses to temporarily close. In some cases, a stay-at-home order may include fines for residents who are out for non-essential tasks or activities. In Austin, Mayor Steve Adler issued a stay-at-home order on March 24 to enforce social distancing. This order shut down non-essential retail shops and most businesses, and people were told to work from home. In addition, restaurants can only serve food to-go or for delivery. This order has caused restaurants, shops, and some businesses to fire, lay off, or furlough staff. As a result, the rates of unemployment and homelessness have begun to 8
AUSTINLAWYER | MAY 2020
rise rapidly. According to public radio station KUT, the unemployment rate in Austin is projected to be almost 25 percent by the summer months. Resources set up to help the homeless in Austin, including food banks and shelters, have now been forced to shut down in order to contain the virus. As a result, those who are without a permanent home or access to home or access to food or supplies needed to take a shower now have greater difficulty in obtaining these resources. Lost along with these resources is a sense of security for individuals experiencing homelessness in the midst of the pandemic. A group of Austin women are helping to care for the homeless in our community. In March 2020, Austin Bar member Pooja Sethi, after speaking to her friend and Austin EMS Association President Selena Xie, realized that in the new world of COVID-19, there was a gap in how some members of our communities can access food. Concerned, Sethi contacted other women about helping those who are food-insecure. They formed a group called the “Quaranteam”—comprised of Sethi, fellow Austin Bar member Margaret Chen Kercher, Austin Bar President-Elect Kennon Wooten, Julie Ann Nitsch, CJ Zhao, and Ashley Cheng. These women took the initiative to step in and help replace resources lost for the homeless population. The first mission started with Wooten making peanut butter sandwiches to feed those without access to food. The Quaranteam escalated from there. They have partnered with Austin EMS Association; contacted restaurants and community members to donate meals; and donated meals, masks, and tents to members of our unhoused population.
ABOVE: (L-R from top) The “Quaranteam”: Pooja Sethi, Julie Ann Nitsch, Kennon Wooten, Margaret Chen Kercher, CJ Zhao, and Ashley Cheng.
The Quaranteam has partnered with Austin EMS Association; contacted restaurants and community members to donate meals; and donated meals, masks, and tents to members of our unhoused population.
