Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on April 22, 2020

Shelter-in-place has become the standard remedy to slow the spread of COVID-19. But what does shelter-in-place mean for people without a home in which to shelter?

Family Promise of Greater Phoenix, an emergency shelter program for first-time homeless families, is attempting to grapple with social distancing constraints that, in practice, mean that the organization can no longer house families in churches, synagogues and mosques the way it normally does.

Typically, the organizations interfaith partners take turns hosting families for a week at a time. But in March, as the threat of COVID-19 became apparent in other Family Promise locations across the country, Family Promise of Greater Phoenix decided to suspend its rotational system and instead housed families in tents at its Earll offices and apartments at its Bellevue site.

And the changes at Family Promise extend further than just their relationship with interfaith partners. Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, the organization has had to increase spending across the board, from the cost of Wi-Fi, bunk beds, 32 new mattresses and sanitation services to increased pay for a 24-hour staff. And its staff is maintaining strict social distancing rules, only serving meals to one family at a time and offering virtual case management, even when families are 50 feet away in the same building.

Its just crazy what this has caused, said Ted Taylor, executive director of Family Promise of Greater Phoenix. The change in social distancing, the no more going out in public, working out how families were going to get jobs, how were going to get housing still, how we could still graduate families, how we could get food from the congregations when it was hard to go to the grocery store and find things we have been really managing all these changes on a daily basis.

Still, families at Family Promise are some of the few with access to safe shelter right now: There are 140 families waiting to get into shelters across the valley, Taylor said.

There is a severe shortage and theres no space, and nobodys necessarily freeing up space. So its a real predicament, Taylor said. Were starting to put some of our families who are really close to graduation in hotels, so that we can put more family in.

While families shelter in place at Family Promises facilities, congregations in the rotational system are continuing to provide food for families. Taylor calculates the cost of those donated meals at $500 per night.

Lets just talk about how big that is. This is no small thing, Taylor said. I would argue that is the biggest savior of Family Promise. That $500 a night would have broken us, it would have been brutal, so they have changed the game for us.

Those partners include three synagogues in the Greater Phoenix area: Temple Chai, which started hosting families in 2016, and Temple Solel and Temple Kol Ami, which both joined the Family Promise network within the last few months.

Temple Chai arranged for volunteers to provide meals during its host week April 19-26. Executive Director Debbie Blyn said that Family Promise is one of her favorite volunteer programs at Temple Chai.

You get to help and work with these vulnerable people, but you also get to touch the person. And you really get this beautiful interaction just between human beings, Blyn said. You learn that people have really difficult stories, and the world can be beautiful and cruel at the same time. You also get to meet some pretty incredible people who are a little down on their luck for a period of time.

Blyn said that volunteers try to provide meals that are not only fun and family friendly, but also a good source of nutrition. This week, volunteers deliveries included pizza and salad, barbecue chicken sandwiches, macaroni and cheese and meatloaf.

Organizationally, its a really beautiful way for Temple Chai to be able to help our Phoenix neighbors who happen to be in need. And youre doing such basic things, Blyn said. Youre giving them a safe place to sleep, youre giving them a warm meal at night, theyre really basic things.

April 12-19 would have been Temple Solels second host week. The synagogue began hosting in December, after organizers had a chance to shadow Temple Chai coordinators Kelly and Brad Golner.

Their participation in the Family Promise made it easier for us, said Rae Rader, vice president of social action at Temple Solel. We could just look to them as an example of how well it worked.

During Temple Solels April host week, Rader was impressed by the number of people who volunteered, especially now, when a trip to the grocery store is a possible cause for concern.

I think were just doing the best we can this week with the groceries that are available, or ordering from restaurants to deliver, supporting local businesses, Rader said. I think it may be more difficult for them doing it this way, but were glad to help however we can.

Rader and her husband made one of the weeks meals: barbecue chicken, macaroni and cheese, coleslaw, rolls and grapes.

It really made me feel like I was doing something important and helping others and not just staying home, Rader said. It took us out of our isolation a little bit. We didnt go in and actually see anybody, we just dropped the meals off outside, but it made me feel good about helping others who were really in need. Theres a lot of need right now.

Temple Kol Ami is planning to have its first host week May 24-31. While Family Promise cant be certain the rotational system will still be suspended by the end of May, TKA volunteer coordinator Andrea Lazar said theyre expecting to provide meals instead of hosting families that week.

Since the synagogues first meeting to discuss a possible partnership with Family Promise in January, the response from our members was really terrific, Lazar said.

Volunteers from TKA are ready to provide meals every night of the week at the end of May. And as for the synagogues next host week, when they get a chance to host families, were really looking forward to it, Lazar said. This is actually bringing families to our congregation and providing them safe shelter and food. It brings giving to a different level.

Community partners like Temple Chai, Temple Solel and Temple Kol Ami have been a critical piece of our formula for the last 20 years, Taylor said. The synagogues are relatively young in our network, but their passion is untouchable. And I believe that is the key behind the future growth of Family Promise, and also the effectiveness of Family Promise.

For now, Family Promise is waiting out the COVID-19 crisis just like everyone else: sheltering in place and making the most of the situation.

The biggest concern right now, Taylor said, is both the continued strain of social distancing on staff and families and the threat of illness spreading among families at the facilities. While Family Promise has room to isolate up to two families at its Glendale facility, he worries that if an outbreak were to happen inside one of the facilities, the cost of paying for hotel rooms would quickly deplete the organizations funds.

Its no small thing if a family gets COVID inside of our shelter. It would be devastating, Taylor said. To protect the other families, we would have to isolate those families. If we had a ripple of illness, and it doesnt have to be COVID, it could be flu-related symptoms, then we are really going to have some struggles. JN

Read the rest here:

Synagogues partner with Family Promise to provide meals to homeless families - Jewish News of Greater Phoenix

Category: Synagogue
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