“Many things have been cancelled due to COVID. But homelessness has not taken a break during this pandemic, and neither have we.”
The Development Team at Haven Housing consists of three part-time employees: Shelby is our Development Coordinator (and Interim Development Director), Amy is our Communications and Grants Manager, and Dena is our Community Engagement Coordinator. When the COVID-19 crisis hit, much of Dena’s community engagement opportunities disappeared. We were forced to suspend all in-kind donations, paralyzing her efforts to coordinate large donation drives. We significantly limited visitors to our buildings, halting any volunteer groups that Dena normally recruits and coordinates. So, while the rest of the Development Team works from home on their normal duties, Dena has shifted to become one of our Essential program staff.
Did you know that shelter staff are considered Essential Workers? Dena is learning about how truly essential our incredible staff is, even when we are not faced with a public health crisis.
“Haven Housing staff are amazing!” Dena says. “Advocates, Case Managers and Program Directors and Operations all work together in such versatile and dynamic ways. I feel so lucky that I get to see firsthand how much our staff gives their all every single day.”
There is an all hands on deck attitude at Haven Housing that Dena finds inspiring. Our Operations Manager and Facilities Manager have also shifted to program roles. Staff is working together to keep up with day-to-day changes with the crisis, and trying to keep things as normal as possible for residents. It can be challenging to keep up with the ever-changing landscape of the crisis, while not displaying a “crisis mode” to our vulnerable residents, but Dena sees our staff succeeding every day.
Dena is gaining a deeper understanding about the day-to-day operations of our programs that she is excited to share with volunteers and donors when she resumes her Development work. “Haven Housing programs are well-established and operate with such efficiency,” Dena marvels. “It’s like we have our own ‘recipe for success’ that allows us to serve women at different levels of need with their own individualized plan.” She says there is no question about our recipe: each program is custom-tailored to each resident, and everyone gets what they need, which can significantly differ from person to person and program to program.
Dena still “meets” twice a week with the rest of the Development Team, and is helping coordinate some virtual volunteering. She is eager to ease back into her Community Engagement role. “Although things may be different during this time, the work and core mission of Haven Housing hasn’t changed,” Dena says. “Staff, donors, and program participants are all still working every day to achieve safe, stable, permanent housing for those who desperately need it. Many things have been cancelled due to COVID. But homelessness has not taken a break during this pandemic, and neither have we.”