Cluster residents, staff, and artists from Music Kitchen after a classical concert in 2019.
Program Director at Cluster House, Jackie, gives an update on how her staff and residents are dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
“Since the shelter at home directive was enacted last month, we at Cluster House have been acutely focused on the safety of our residents while also still ensuring the safety of our staff.”
Due to CDC guidelines, we have restricted non-essential visitor access to the residence, we have added more hand sanitizers in common areas such as: the elevators, entrances, community room, and next to the resident’s mailboxes.
For everyone’s safety, we do not allow residents to visit one another’s apartments, we have cancelled all community and resident groups due to the need for social distancing, we allow a limited number of residents in the community room, we have removed all the chairs in the dining room, and clients have access to disinfectant wipes to clean the chairs and tables when they want to utilize the community room.
“The staff here have done an amazing job training our residents on how to put on their masks, gloves, and have given residents tips on social distancing, and keeping safe.” Our case managers continue to meet with residents weekly, but via the phone to discuss their needs and progress. If a resident has any further needs, they can schedule an in-person meeting with their case manager as well. Besides our maintenance team and our nurse, the staff have not been wearing gloves so as to not offend the residents.
“We are trying to keep things as routine and normal as possible for our residents, and a lot of them seem to understand and want to do their part to help.”
We reinforce the fact that these guidelines are being established for everyone, and not just them. A few residents have been proactively helping to clean the site and keep other residents aware of the current guidelines and restrictions.
Our residents love this building and they are very protective of it. They look out for each other, especially at a time like this. It’s our job as the staff to support them and ensure that the residents of Cluster House have all the resources they need to keep themselves safe.”
About Urban Pathways
Urban Pathways is a New York City-based, nonprofit organization that provides housing and support to homeless and at-risk adults throughout the Metropolitan area. Urban Pathways serves 3,700 homeless individuals a year and provides transitional, extended stay, and permanent housing to chronically homeless individuals. www.urbanpathways.org. Donate
