Health Risk Perception of Homeless People During COVID-19 Pandemic and Their Basic Needs

Abstract

This research article proposes homeless people’s complex lives and their basic needs during the COVID-19 Pandemic since March 2020 and studied until August 2020. The researcher employed two research methods for this study, namely a qualitative method by conducting participant observation and a quantitative method by doing surveys. The conceptual framework for this research is the health risk perception. The result demonstrates two issues. First, homeless people in Bangkok assessed that their health risk of COVID-19 was low. They held that they had a strong immune system and rarely interacted with others who were not homeless, therefore they had a low possibility to receive the virus. Second, homeless people had different needs. Some who already got used to the street life did not expect any assistance. Others expected trivial assistance, such as providing them a toilet and a bathroom, and did not require housing assistance. Several homeless people still preferred the street life, which they could be free, and needed only having income from irregular work. Then they could expense their income for what they want. Majorities of homeless people thought that housing was not an emergency need. It is different from the experiences of supporting homeless people abroad that emphasizes supporting housing for homeless people is the first priority and then provide other supportive services.