Life in the Time of Coronavirus

The Homeowner Who Gave Up Her Apartment to an ICU Doctor

A series about how this pandemic affects our lives, our loved ones, our work, and our way of life

Andrea González-Ramírez
GEN
Published in
4 min readApr 7, 2020

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A photograph of NYC skyline with coronavirus particles in the background.
Photo illustration. Image sources: Stanislav Krasilnikov/Getty Images, 4x-image/Getty Images

Life in the Time of Coronavirus is a GEN series where we are interviewing people across the country who have had their lives upended or are experiencing the stress of the unknown.

Like so many people living through the coronavirus pandemic, Kelsey Osgood has often felt helpless. But after talking with a friend who works in an emergency room, the Brooklyn-based writer identified one area where she could be of use: Matching health care workers who wish to self-isolate with the empty homes of people who’ve decided to leave New York City and quarantine elsewhere. Since she launched her effort nearly two weeks ago, she’s been able to match 12 health care workers with new housing, and more than 60 property owners have volunteered their homes.

One of the people who has donated her apartment is Ann Glickman, a 61-year-old director of finance at a private school on the Upper East Side. She left the city in early March and is not sure when she’ll be back.

II have a one-bedroom apartment in a co-op in Riverdale, a neighborhood in the Bronx, that I…

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Andrea González-Ramírez
GEN
Writer for

Award-winning Puerto Rican journalist. Senior Writer at New York Magazine’s The Cut. Formerly GEN, Refinery29, and more. Read my work: https://www.thecut.com/