Our amazing Advocacy Center team has been making adjustments to how we serve families through this crisis, delivering food, produce, and supplies to 20+ survivor families each week.
More than 400 survivors in our programs rely on Raphael House for shelter, food, hygiene supplies, safety planning, and emergency resources—in addition to a high volume of callers on our 24-hotline. We are committed to assisting everyone who reaches out for help during this crisis. But to do that, we need your support.
Your gifts to our COVID-19 Response Fund will help us:
• Continue offering life-saving shelter and 24/7 support to survivors and their children who have escaped dangerous abusers.
• Deliver food, hygiene supplies, and other critical resources to families across the community who are struggling.
• Provide phone support and assistance to survivors in our housing and community-based programs, and to callers seeking help on our 24-hotline.
• Purchase supplies needed to keep our community safe and healthy, including sanitizer and cleaners.
Our amazing Advocacy Center team has been making adjustments to how we serve families through this crisis, delivering food, produce, and supplies to 20+ survivor families each week.
We are taking active measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to protect those we serve along with our staff and volunteers. We are responding calmly, and utilizing the most up-to-date information from experts while carefully following Governor Brown Executive Order. Below are just some of the many steps we have enacted across our programs, but may not reflect of-the-moment practices.
• We are disinfecting surfaces, sanitizing, and hand washing very frequently!
• Staff and shelter residents are practicing social distancing (6+ feet) and have been provided with masks to wear whenever outside their room or office. We are promoting staggered use of community areas.
• Advocacy and support are being provided by phone.
• We have provided all staff and participants with cleaning supplies and coronavirus info in multiple languages, and everyone is required to either wash or use sanitizer as they enter our secure location.
• Thanks to a generous funder, mini fridges have been installed in each private bedroom, to limit time spent in our shared kitchen, and we have encouraged families to eat in their room.
• We have updated our screening and room turnover/cleaning practices, to ensure the safety of incoming families and our shelter community.
• Our Youth and Family Advocates are largely working remotely, offering support to youth and parents by phone and via video chat.
• Advocates have been creative about teaching kids hand washing and practicing safe distancing with fun activities and songs.
• Virtual support groups and youth activities launched and are being offered to families in our emergency shelter!
• Staff have compiled age-appropriate Activity Kits for families that include learning resources, art materials, and games. These have been distributed to everyone in our shelter and are being delivered to those in our community-based programs.
• Families in shelter have each received a laptop, to make online learning and social distancing easier.
• For our Advocacy Center, Housing, and Community-based Programs, we continue to offer case management, emotional support, emergency assistance funds, and more by phone.
• Staff are bringing resources, supplies, and food boxes to participants’ homes whenever possible and delivering at the door with safe distancing.
• Families not experiencing symptoms can arrange to pick-up food, hygiene items, and other supplies without direct staff contact.
• Advocates are staggering shifts on-site and working remotely whenever possible.
• We have launched and are now offering remote support group options for adults!
• During school closures, all advocates are working remotely. The team has been developing digital materials and resources for students and teachers, and providing virtual presentations as appropriate.
• Confidential advocacy is still available to Portland Public School students by phone and text.
• All staff members are staggering shifts on-site, wearing masks whenever outside their office, practicing social distancing (6+ feet), and taking their temperature upon arrival.
• If a staff member begins experiencing symptoms, or someone in their household is, they will be asked to self-quarantine at home. This time is paid.
• We are being creative about offering work options to our staff that ensure continuity of essential services, while limiting direct contact, promoting safety and well-being, and preventing any loss in income for members of our team.
• Distribution of emergency funds and checks are uninterrupted, but we may be slightly delayed in sending acknowledgements to our generous donors.
• All volunteer shifts have been suspended until further notice.
2,309
times adults accessed support groups, therapy, and one-on-one emotional support services last year
60%
of the survivors we serve are children
“Survivors have already been navigating significant challenges related to domestic violence and their safety, and the impacts of coronavirus are additional hurdles. Our advocates have been working around-the-clock to keep our shelter and hotline staffed 24/7 and to connect survivors across the community with the food, hygiene supplies, and critical resources they need.”
– Emmy Ritter, Executive Director
