Title
Resolution to Support Washtenaw County and Shelter Association of Washtenaw County (SAWC) as a Result of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Appropriate $250,000 for Current and Future COVID-19 Shelter Response (8 Votes Required)
Memorandum
Responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have required swift action to ensure public health and safety. The Governor's Stay Home Stay Safe Executive Order, coupled with the Washtenaw County Health Departments requirements for social distancing were put in place to ensure safe physical distancing and limitations on contact to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.
While most Ann Arbor residents are able to comply with the order, and the physical distancing requirements, those individuals and families experiencing homelessness lack the very basic element to comply with the Governor's order - a home.
The Shelter Association of Washtenaw County has worked in tandem with the Washtenaw County Health Department and the Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development to adjust quickly to create safe shelter for those individuals who use the Delonis Center, the Warming Center and rotating winter shelters.
Over the course of the last month, that has included lowering the capacity of the Delonis Shelter to 38, based on a review by the WCHD that evaluated the space for shelter clients using the facility during the day and overnight. It has also resulted in the expansion of off-site locations including three churches and one Ann Arbor hotel. The church sites were also evaluated so they can accommodate the physical distancing requirement. The hotel provides individual rooms to clients who then have safe, individual space, and are prioritized for those who are more medically fragile or at-risk for COVID-19.
The expansion of locations, just as winter warming season was ending, required a number of changes for SAWC, including additional support from Washtenaw County. All sites require 24/7 staffing, case management, supplies, ...
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