Face shields allow Hesed House to stay on task to end homelessness
A global pandemic did not deter Hesed House in Aurora from fulfilling its mission of ending homelessness one person at a time. Despite needing to briefly move operations off-site and in the absence of help from their 7,500 volunteers, who have not been allowed to continue their service due to safety guidelines, the staff, guests of Hesed House, and community pulled together to keep the organization going strong.
"We're so grateful for our community who really care about their neighbors in need. To manage their needs during this time as well as remember Hesed House and willingly share resources with us was such an important and humbling experience," said Lauren Jernigan, Division Director of Development for Hesed House.
Thanks to partners like Gerald Auto Group and their philanthropic arm Gerald Cares, community donors and individual community members, many operations have resumed on-site at Hesed House. Social distancing is in place, staff and guests of Hesed House are tested for COVID-19 regularly, and they have all stepped up to help Hesed House run effectively in the absence of volunteers.
"At times even our guests have stepped up to help cook. This is their home and they, as well as our community partners, have helped us swiftly adjust and adapt to this situation so that we could all be back on-site in Aurora," said Jernigan.
In the very near future, the Comprehensive Resource Center, the heartbeat of Hesed House, will reopen. The center provides case management, counseling, job training and many other vital resources to those working to end their time in homelessness. In this uncertain time, the center also acts as a resource for people concerned about a pending eviction to help prevent them from becoming homeless.
Face-to-face interactions and human connections are key to the center's success. Of course, the pandemic makes having these interactions much more challenging and, until recently, impossible. Sensing Hesed House's need, Gerald Kia of North Aurora and Gerald Kia of Naperville stepped in and donated hundreds of face shields so that case managers could safely return to work at the center.
"Our family is passionate about Hesed House and have supported their mission for many years. We're grateful our contribution helps them continue serving the community during the pandemic," said Matt Gerald, General Manager of Gerald Kia in North Aurora and Naperville.
The face shields, in addition to other safety measures, will allow staff to continue providing counseling and job training, among other services to help people move into housing and out of homelessness.
"These face shields are an extra precautionary tool for our staff who will be working at the Comprehensive Resource Center. Funds for PPE were not in the budget prior to COVID and we're so grateful to our amazing and generous partners, like Gerald, for helping us through this," said Jernigan.
To learn more about Hesed House, visit: https://www.hesedhouse.org.