1 minute read
The move just before “shelter in place”
Shelterhouse Client, teenager, Survivor
To say 2020 was a year we never expected is an understatement. Last March, when COVID-19 was knocking at our door and the “shelter in place” orders were being implemented, we rapidly pivoted. In less than a week we were successfully providing counseling and advocacy via telehealth. A planned three-week move into a new facility was condensed into four days, giving shelter residents the ability to shelter in place in their own units. New procedures were written, health and safety practices implemented, and we carried on doing our best to serve survivors. While the pandemic turned our world upside down, we now have new practices that will be carried far into the future.
For a time of fear and the unknown, Shelterhouse created new approaches to client service, prevention, and shelter, and maintained the comprehensive services that our community and survivors rely on. Not only did we continue to serve survivors, we placed a high priority on health and safety, strictly following CDC and local health department guidance, updating our response as more was learned about exposure and transmission. 2020 was a transformational year, and I am so appreciative of our team and the community ’ s support. Together, we can get through anything.
– Vicki Wakeman Director of Client & Community Advocacy
