WE'RE STILL HERE.
As an organization dedicated to the well-being of our community, we are closely watching the developments surrounding the spread of COVID-19.
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At this time, following the CDC guidelines, we have limited our CWD programming, but remain committed to building community with and caring for our neighbors experiencing homelessness.
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Since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, CwD staff and leadership have been deeply concerned about those in our community who are homeless, medically vulnerable, and have health conditions identified by the CDC which put them at high-risk for morbidity should they contract the virus.
We’ve been driven to find solutions to the question: “How do you help someone avoid exposure to the COVID-19 virus when they don’t have the option to Shelter in Place?”
City with Dwellings has been working hard with county, city, community leaders and resource providers to find the best, safest shelter options to allow our medically fragile community members to shelter in place. Should the virus hit any of our area shelters, all of which are following best practices for disinfecting and social distancing—it could spread like wildfire.
Currently, there are as many as 60 individuals experiencing homelessness who need to be taken out of the group shelter environment and given the opportunity to shelter safely in place. Plans seem to be coming together to care for that group, as well as individuals experiencing homelessness who are COVID-19 positive and recovering, or have been tested and need to isolate while awaiting results. I hope we can share information about these exciting plans next week.
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- Tracy Mohr
Transitional Executive Director
There are no instructions for how to best support and care for homeless individuals during a pandemic. It’s a precarious, uncertain time. We all feel insecure and struggle to imagine what the other side of this pandemic will look like.
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If you had no home, where would you shelter in place? There are no public spaces open, and no public bathrooms. Few computers or phones are available for those who own neither. Progress individuals have made towards housing, employment, and even health goals is on hold indefinitely. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for a homeless person to navigate life in this new COVID-19 reality.
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- Father Gregory Boyle
"Love is the Answer, community is the context."
