APRIL 6, 2020
COTS: Coping with COVID-19
This week, COTS published an overview of our efforts to meet the challenges of the current moment to serve our clients in shelter, in our housing programs, and through supportive services. We hope this helps our community understand some of the challenges those experiencing homelessness face and some of the strategies our staff are using to keep our community safe and healthy.
“While the full impact of COVID-19 is yet unknown, we do expect it to have an exponential effect on the homeless community. In Sonoma County, 68% of homeless survey respondents reported having one or more health condition, making them particularly susceptible to illness, infection and death than housed populations. Increasing the urgency, a potential economic fallout could drastically increase the local homeless count and create an even higher demand for shelter and services. As that demand increases, so does the need for stronger sanitation, adaptable facilities, and additional staffing.”
– From COTS: Coping with COVID-19
COTS staff have displayed a remarkable courage and resilience through these necessary changes, and we are grateful to everyone in the community who has stepped up to make our work lighter: by donating food, funds, and necessary items, by making masks, by volunteering, and in so many incredible ways. We will continue to keep our community informed as we respond to the situation on the ground.
Read COTS: Coping with COVID-19 here.
Report on the Sonoma County COVID-19 Homeless Team from Chuck Fernandez
People experiencing homelessness already have compromised physical, mental, and emotional systems. Living on the streets or in encampments with poor hygiene and dietary habits only make matters worse. For those coming into a shelter environment and living in a congregate environment, practicing “social distancing” is difficult.
So what is Sonoma County doing to address the homeless situation during these challenging times? LOTS. They set-up an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and a COVID-19 Homeless Team (Team) staffed with public health, medical, and City and County professional staff to direct homeless services and keep people safe. The EOC conducts twice weekly calls with all homeless providers in the County. We have several COTS staff on those calls.
The Team’s focus is on three areas:
• Mitigation Strategies, which emphasizes physical distancing and cleanliness. All shelters must comply with the six-foot rule. For COTS, our bed capacity will be reduced from 112 beds to around 56 beds to accommodate this change. The County is also working on placing 39 port-o-potties and hand washing stations throughout the County, including three in Petaluma.
The Team is also working on getting supplies to homeless providers – hand sanitizers, masks and gloves, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as soon as possible. Food insecurity for the 2,000+ unsheltered is also important, so a separate Food Team is addressing that issue.
• Overflow, which means finding a new spot for people displaced from the shelter because of physical distancing. Those over age 65 will be placed in a hotel/motel room. This process has already started in Santa Rosa.
• Quarantine, whereby the EOC is securing sites for people who need to be in isolation. There will likely be several sites across Sonoma County.
Things are changing rapidly and the EOC and Homeless Team are moving as fast as is humanly possible. They are taking this responsibility VERY seriously. By the time you get this newsletter, things will have already changed. We will do our very best to keep you updated through email, on our website at cots.org, and via social media. Thank you for your partnership as we rally around our neighbors experiencing homelessness at this uncertain time!
MARCH 18, 2020
COTS Update: Serving Our Clients During Shelter-in-Place
Following the shelter-in-place order issued by Sonoma County today, we are reaching out to our community to update you about COTS’ services and our volunteer program.
COTS’s programs and services to our clients will continue through the duration of the crisis. COTS and all homeless shelters are considered “essential” services in Sonoma County, and travel to and from COTS is protected by the order. If you read this week’s Virtual Coffee with CEO Chuck Fernandez, you know that we have implemented Virus Prevention Protocols for all staff, shelter residents, guests, and volunteers at COTS. We are committed to doing everything we can to keep our community healthy and safe while continuing our mission to get people off the streets, out of shelter, and into a permanent home.
At present, our kitchen staff are operating with a skeleton crew to meet the needs of our clients, and we are so proud of the way our COTS team members have stepped up during this time of uncertainty. We welcome volunteers who are healthy and feel comfortable prepping meals or serving our clients to continue shifts in our Mary Isaak Center kitchen. Other volunteer roles will be continued on a case-by-case basis, and if you have any questions, please reach out directly to Diana Morales at (707) 765-6530 ext. 136 or [email protected]. You can apply to volunteer with us here.
We also understand if you are a current volunteer who feels unable to complete your shift, either out of concern for yourself or others’ health and safety. If you cannot make your shift, please let Diana know at the contact information above. Please do not volunteer—under any circumstances—if you are at high-risk for serious complications from Covid-19, if you are symptomatic, or if you believe you have been exposed to the virus.
As we wait for news in the days and weeks to come, know that we are especially grateful for our COTS family and for the profound difference our donors, volunteers, and supporters make to our programs and services. Your investment is more important now than ever, as we prepare to serve not just our current clients but those who may need our services in the months to come.
Please consider providing immediate help to our community with a tax-deductible donation today.
We will continue to keep you updated as the situation changes day by day. Until then, thank you for the essential role you play at COTS and in the lives of those experiencing homelessness.