I've learned a ton about the homeless population and shelter process.
I've been a volunteer leading health assessments and triage (via volunteer Telehealth nurses) at our local men's shelter. The shelter has even experienced a complete move in the last week.
A few huge points, however:
* Homelessness isn't always a choice - and especially in this situation it's causing panic.
* Our shelter system needs much greater support, and many organizations need better communication and integration.
* Paper is alive and well some places, others are quite a bit better technologically. There is much room for process improvement.
* While I am selfishly getting out of my own house and interacting with people, none of them are in anywhere near an ideal situation - and it's affected my mental health somewhat. I'm grateful for personal protective equipment, but reuse does concern me.
So much more I could go on about, but I can say during this period I've learned a ton more about homelessness, the process, and have kept people from entering the shelter thanks to our fantastic volunteer nurses who need to practice in a limited capacity for COVID-19 screening.
Volunteering is also something that has turned into quite a calling for me right now as well.
>> I'm grateful for personal protective equipment, but reuse does concern me
To help with this, studies indicate that you can heat items in the oven at 70C for 30 minutes for effective sterilization without compromising the masks. More detail at [1]. My household is also using this technique on things like incoming mail, etc.
I've been a volunteer leading health assessments and triage (via volunteer Telehealth nurses) at our local men's shelter. The shelter has even experienced a complete move in the last week.
A few huge points, however:
* Homelessness isn't always a choice - and especially in this situation it's causing panic.
* Our shelter system needs much greater support, and many organizations need better communication and integration.
* Paper is alive and well some places, others are quite a bit better technologically. There is much room for process improvement.
* While I am selfishly getting out of my own house and interacting with people, none of them are in anywhere near an ideal situation - and it's affected my mental health somewhat. I'm grateful for personal protective equipment, but reuse does concern me.
So much more I could go on about, but I can say during this period I've learned a ton more about homelessness, the process, and have kept people from entering the shelter thanks to our fantastic volunteer nurses who need to practice in a limited capacity for COVID-19 screening.
Volunteering is also something that has turned into quite a calling for me right now as well.