COVID19 – March 18 – Update
HSC Responds to COVID-19 for our Clients, Staff, and Volunteers
Supplies Needed to Help with Prevention Efforts
Dear HSC Family and Friends,
We appreciate all who have reached out with concern and caring for our clients, employees, and volunteers. These are certainly dynamic times! And homelessness does not take a break – nor allow a person to go “home” for quarantine or isolation. The safety and well-being of everyone who comes to the Human Services Campus is our top priority. We want to share the steps we have taken immediately:
- We are working on a daily basis with Maricopa County Public Health. And we are monitoring guidance from the Arizona Department of Health Services, the City of Phoenix, and the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
- HSC is in daily communication with our Campus partners to share information, monitor programmatic and protocol changes, and to best serve our clients in the safest manner.
- HSC is working with its employees on staffing schedules that accommodate individual medical needs, children’s school schedules, and preparedness for needing to work on very flexible schedules. While we do not want to shut down the entire Campus, we may need to adjust programming hours to ensure the proper number of staff and to allow time for cleaning and maintenance.
- We converted our upcoming Awareness Walk in downtown Phoenix to a ‘virtual walk,’ asking people to walk two miles somewhere and make a financial contribution to HSC.
How you can help:
- Organizations working with sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness do not have budgets to purchase unlimited quantities of hand sanitizer, toilet paper, and bottled water. We will need these items 365 days per year, regardless of any existing or future virus or disease. We serve people who have compromised physical and mental health, people over 60 years old, people with disabilities. They are vulnerable every day. If you are able to lead a collection drive, we welcome drop-offs Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm by calling Ivan Orozco at 602-282-0849 or emailing volunteer@keystochangeaz.org.
- We need: liquid hand soap, trash bags, Clorox (or similar) wipes, bottled water, gloves ( Nitrile Exam Powder-Free Gloves 15 mil thickness) ; deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, feminine hygiene products, adult diapers (pull-ups).
- For Arizonans we hope that you will track two bills in the Legislature right now that would increase funding for housing development, affordable housing: HB2732 and SB1394 and sign in to show your support. With or without COVID-19 we need more shelter, more housing, more prevention.
In gratitude:
All of us at the HSC send deep appreciation to all of the people in front line work – the medical professionals, first responders, social workers, case managers, etc. Take care of your own health, we need each other to survive and thrive! We will continue to monitor and adapt as needed. Thank you for your continued support of all of us at the HSC!
