Interfaith Shelter 2021

We will be hosting the Interfaith Shelter from January 29th through February 28th, 2021!

We have set up a volunteer schedule at giveinkind.com (this link will open in a new tab).

Summit has served as a host site for the Interfaith Shelter Network (ISN) rotational shelter for seven years. Facilitated by the Social Action Committee (now Social Justice in Action) and supported by other local congregations and organizations, the shelter is Summit’s single largest social action event, and one in which a wide cross section of the congregation participates. Many of our members and friends have expressed the belief that hosting the shelter is the most important thing we do as a congregation.

In these awakening times, it is our belief that we must hold fast with courage to our UU values: uphold the dignity of every person, take action on behalf of communities in crisis, and be aware of our privileges we have, including the privilege to shelter in place.

During this time of COVID-19 and high unemployment, homeless shelters in San Diego are at capacity with waitlists. The Interfaith Shelter Network has more than usual number of applicants with a lot of our guests being people of color (POC).

Please click on the headers below to show the information that most interests you.

We will need three basic types of volunteers:

  1. Evening Summit Rep

    Needed: One (1) per night
    Hours: 5 P.M. to 9 P.M.
    Duties: Food distribution, Daily check ins, Assessing for symptoms, Coordinating social distancing, getting trash out of rooms – if/when guests eat in their rooms.

  2. Overnight

    Needed: One (1) per night (or couple)
    Hours: 9 P.M. to 7 A.M.
    Duties:
    At night: Make 1-3 “rounds” to check on guests. You can choose to sleep when not making rounds in the following locations: Library, Salon, or your car.

    In the morning: Open the Salon for breakfast and allow guests to make/receive lunches, Organize guests into shifts for breakfast and ensure social distancing while eating.

  3. Cleaning Crew

    Needed: Two (2) per day
    Hours: 8 A.M. to completion (probably no more than 1-2 hours)
    Duties: Sanitize areas used when guests are gone to reduce volunteer exposure.

Important Changes

Due to COVID-19, things will be different from last year. Please take note of the following changes:

  • All volunteers will have the option of wearing disposable gloves and a face shield.
  • Face shields are to be sanitized every morning and before each use.
  • Volunteers will not be taking the guests in their cars this year.
  • At least one member of the Interfaith Shelter leadership at Summit will be accessible/on-call every evening that the shelter is at Summit. A Google phone number will be created, specifically for this purpose.

Checklists for each volunteer is to include verification of: PPE, duties with times, phone numbers in case of questions, volunteer waiver signed, and required videos to have been watched.

Notice to Volunteers

As individuals you must decide if you are willing to take this risk. NO one can make this decision for you, if you are feeling pressure to volunteer, I encourage you to seek counsel from our spiritual director Reverend Everett or a representative from the UUA. Volunteers and participants are AT WILL and will sign a three-way waiver among themselves, Summit, and ISN releasing liability for injury and specifically around the subject of contagion (COVID).

Housing/Facilities/Hours

The shelter will be open from 5:00 pm to 8:00 am. Guests will be leaving at 8:00 am. During the weekend, if we have enough volunteers, we will allow the guests to stay.

Hosting the shelter during COVID-19

The ISN is planning a shorter rotational shelter “season” during the colder months of 2020-21. Even so, they are struggling to find host sites, and without a sufficient number of sites, the rotational shelter cannot happen.

Specific Plans for hosting the shelter during COVID-19: Safety and Testing

  1. Resources and protocols from the CDC will be followed.
  2. A registered nurse has committed to creating training videos on effective ways to place and remove PPE, how to sanitize different surfaces, and how to know the difference between Covid-symptoms, other illness, and when to call 911.
  3. IFSN will not be requiring guests to get tested.
    • Tests are currently in large demand and challenging to get uninsured people tested unless they are showing active Covid symptoms.
    • Will be assessing this dynamic situation as (hopefully) testing becomes more readily available.

As a congregation, we have FULL authority to put into place daily check-ins and the following protocols from the CDC

  1. Daily Pre-Screen of Guests
  2. Mask Policy
  3. Physical Distancing
  4. One overnight will sleep in one room, most likely the library or Salon. One overnight will sleep in a trailer (Bekah will be living on-site)
  5. Guests to be trained on use of disinfectants
  6. Guests will be assigned bathrooms, to limit cross contamination. We have 4 bathrooms in the sleeping areas.
  7. Professional cleaning crew to be hired after shelter conclusion.

If helping the homeless is important to you, do not forget…

We have set up a volunteer schedule at giveinkind.com (this link will open in a new tab). Watch this space if you are interested in volunteering and donating.