UPDATES ON HABITAT CHICAGO'S RESPONSE TO COVID-19
Updated 07/01/20
Friends,
As our city enters a new phase of re-opening, I want to provide updates on our organization's own re-opening plans. Oour top priority continues to be the health and well-being of our team, the communities we serve, and our stakeholders.
We hosted our virtual Rally for Resiliency last month and continue to raise funds to move our mission forward.
If we missed you on June 11th, please consider watching the recording of our 2020 Rally for Resiliency. If you feel inspired, please consider a gift to help more families know the peace and pride of a safe and healthy home. Since the Rally on June 11th, we were able to close on five more homes, meaning five more families now have homes to live in with comfort and safety. Check out this story from Block Club Chicago covering Denae and Britany's move-in day!
ReStore Chicago is now open to the public with limited hours and capacity.
For additional information on ReStore shopping and donation drop-off hours, please visit restorechicago.org.
Beginning July 11th, our build site will re-open to volunteers.
We are beginning to cautiously re-open to volunteers at our ReStore and construction sites. Volunteer positions will be very limited as we work out our new normal and continue to update and determine the best standards to keep everyone safe. To learn more about our ReStore and construction volunteer opportunities and safety precautions, please visit our Volunteer Portal.
Beginning July 7th, we will resume accepting applications for our Neighborhood Grants Initiative.
This small grants program, put on pause during the initial uncertainties of COVID-19, awards direct funding to resident-led projects in West Pullman and Greater Grand Crossing. From bucket list ideas to responses to current events, your project idea is likely eligible as long as it strengthens your community physically or socially. To learn more about this initiative, visit our Neighborhood Grants Information page. If you would would to receive application instructions for our next round of funding, please add your name to our Neighborhood Grants interest list.
School is back in session for Homebuyer University.
Our current cohort of students resumed classes virtually on June 27th and our next cohort will begin on August 29th. Please add your name to our Homeownership interest list to be notified of open enrollment.
Our Home Care Workshop Series will continue through the summer with virtual workshops.
To learn more and sign-up for our virtual summer workshop "Plumbing 101", please visit our event page.
Our office continues to be closed to the public.
To get in touch with our Office team, please contact us via phone or email.
With deep gratitude,
Jennifer L. Parks
Executive Director, Habitat Chicago
Updated 05/27/20
Friends,
I hope that you and your loved ones are healthy and well. As we continue into another extension of the statewide shelter-in-place order, take some time to reflect and express your gratitude to the important people in your life, as well as the essential workers that take care of us. We will be able to get through this together.
That said, below are new developments to Habitat Chicago's work:
We launched our COVID-19 Resiliency Fund.
Here at Habitat Chicago, we are committed to keeping our community united during these unprecedented times. This campaign is aimed to provide Chicagoans with ideas and opportunities to help them, their families, and their community stay safe and healthy at home.
Our build sites and office will be closed to the general public through 05/31/20, and our ReStore will be closed until further notice.
The statewide stay-at-home order allows construction to continue; our construction team continues to build with additional safety measures and social distancing in place. We will continue to assess closures based on government direction.
Our annual Benefit Breakfast is now the Rally for Resiliency!
Each year, we host our annual Benefit Breakfast to bring our community together to reflect on our shared accomplishments and to look ahead to the next year of advancing our work. However, for the safety of our community, we are unable to host the breakfast this year. Instead, settle in with your household and tune in to our virtual Rally for Resiliency to learn more from leading health and housing experts, and hear testimonials from Habitat Chicago homeowners on the power of a safe and stable home. During (and after) the event, you’ll have the opportunity to make a contribution to our COVID-19 Resiliency Fund. It has never been more clear that housing is healthcare. Now is the time to help more Chicagoans know the peace of a healthy home and to build a city that works for all of us. Join us on June 11th, 12pm CST to make a difference.
The Home Care Workshop Series's Spring Topic will now be virtual.
If you are interested in receiving the Spring Topic video via email, please sign up to our interest list.
As always, take care of yourself, your loved ones, and your community during this crisis. If you are able, please consider a donation to the Habitat Chicago COVID-19 Resiliency Fund to help us continue our work of building a world where everyone has a safe and healthy place to shelter.
Sincerely,
Jennifer L. Parks
Executive Director, Habitat Chicago
Updated 04/07/20
Friends,
I sincerely hope this note finds each of you and your loved ones in good health and good spirits. These are challenging and unprecedented times, but I remain inspired by the power of our shared humanity to come together in the face of the most challenging of obstacles. I’m writing today to provide new updates on Habitat Chicago's work given the extension of the statewide shelter in place order:
Our ReStore, build sites, and office will be closed to the general public through 04/30/20.
All three locations will remain closed to the general public through 04/30/20. We will continue to assess closures based on government direction. The statewide stay-at-home order allows construction to continue; our construction team continues to build with additional safety measures and social distancing in place.
All in-person classes and meetings through 04/30/20 have been postponed or moved to virtual platforms.
In-person classes and meetings for our Affordable Homeownership Program, Neighborhood Grants Initiative, Home Care Workshop Series, Homebuyer University, and operational Volunteer Committees scheduled through 04/30/20 have been postponed or moved to a virtual meeting, where possible. Participants for each will be directly notified of these changes.
Our annual Benefit Breakfast has been rescheduled.
We have moved the Benefit Breakfast from Thursday, 04/30/20, to Thursday, 06/11/20. All sponsors, Table Hosts, and registered guests have been notified of the change directly. We are continuing to monitor the likelihood of being able to gather together in-person for this new date, and are making preparations to move to a virtual event, if needed. Please mark your calendars to save the new date.
We have launched a COVID-19 resources page.
While we cannot be together, we are committed to helping Chicagoans stay connected to the best resources available to persevere throughout this pandemic. Please monitor our new resources page for updates as the situation continues to evolve.
As always, take care of yourself, your loved ones, and your community during this crisis. If you are able, please consider a donation to the Habitat Chicago COVID-19 Resiliency Fund to help us continue our work of building a world where everyone has a safe and healthy place to shelter.
Sincerely,
Jennifer L. Parks
Executive Director, Habitat Chicago
Updated 03/24/20
Friends,
Just one week has gone by since our last update, but it feels like a whole lifetime of change. I hope that each of you and your families are well and taking extra precautions to stay healthy. I’m writing to provide updates on where Habitat Chicago stands given the statewide shelter in place order made effective on Saturday, 03/21/20:
Our ReStore, build sites, and office will be closed to the general public through 04/07/20.
All three locations will remain closed to the general public through 04/07/20. We will continue to assess closures based on government direction as we continue compliance with the shelter in place order. The statewide stay-at-home order allows construction to continue. Our construction team will continue working with additional safety measures and social distancing in place.
All in-person classes and meetings through 04/07/20 have been postponed.
In-person classes and meetings for our Affordable Homeownership Program, Neighborhood Grants Initiative, Home Care Workshop Series, Homebuyer University, and Operational Volunteer Committees scheduled through 04/07/20 have been postponed or moved to a virtual meeting, where possible. Participants for each will be directly notified of these changes.
Our annual Benefit Breakfast has been rescheduled.
After coordinating with our venue and our speakers, we have moved the Benefit Breakfast from Thursday, 04/30/20, to Thursday, 06/11/20. All sponsors, Table Hosts, and registered guests will be notified of the change directly.
Please continue to take care of yourself and our shared community.
Last week, Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International, shared these words from a poem that I found inspiring for this challenging time:
“May those of us who are merely inconvenienced remember those whose lives are at stake. May we who have no risk factors remember the most vulnerable. May we who settle in for quarantine at home remember those who have no home. As fear grips our country, let us choose love.”
Please continue to take care of yourself, your family, and our shared community. If you are able, please consider a donation to the Habitat Chicago COVID-19 Resiliency Fund to help us emerge strong in our mission of providing more Chicago families with safe and healthy places to call home.
With gratitude,
Jennifer L. Parks
Executive Director, Habitat Chicago
Published 03/17/20
Dear Friends,
I am writing to provide an update on the measures Habitat for Humanity Chicago is taking to protect the people we serve, our staff, and volunteers during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. Here at Habitat Chicago, we share everyone’s concern about keeping our families and neighbors safe and are reminded how vital a decent home is for one's health and safety. Following guidance and directives from our local, state, and national leaders, we are doing our part to prevent the spread of the virus.
Our office is temporarily closed.
Effective immediately, our office is closed until March 28. We will assess weekly to determine if there is a need to extend the closure. Our Leadership Team has enacted an Emergency Response Plan that includes a remote work policy for office staff and requires social distancing for our construction and ReStore teams.
Our construction sites are temporarily closed to volunteers.
We expect this closure to be effective through April 18. Our team is working with individuals, corporate teams, and community groups to postpone previously confirmed volunteer dates and reschedule when possible.
ReStore Chicago is temporarily closed to the public.
We are temporarily closing ReStore until March 28. We will not be utilizing volunteers at this time. We are not accepting donations onsite until further notice. We will continue to screen donations online; please follow this link to submit a request. Our ReStore team is currently contacting customers and donors who have previously arranged commitments.
Special events and in-person meetings are being rescheduled.
In accordance with city, state, and federal directives, we are postponing all in-person gatherings and events dependent on the size and date of the gathering. This includes committee meetings, Homebuyer University classes, and our annual Benefit Breakfast fundraiser. When possible, we will shift to virtual meetings. In some cases, we will reschedule for future dates. All registered participants and attendees will be directly notified.
We are managing the best we can.
We are, however, concerned about how this unprecedented pandemic will continue or escalate. The impact these measures will have on our ability to critically serve the community is unknown. What we do know is that the need for safe, healthy, and stable housing is glaringly evident at this time of uncertainty. That said, please know that our board, volunteers, staff, and most importantly, the hardworking families we serve deeply appreciate your support. Because of you, there are families in Chicago who are settling into their Habitat homes with comfort and security.
Please consider making a gift online today.
For now, you cannot build with hammers and nails, but you can keep us building with a financial contribution. If you are able, please consider a donation to the Habitat Chicago COVID-19 Resiliency Fund to sustain our work of bringing people together to build strength, stability, and self-reliance for our neighbors in need.
Let’s continue to take care of one another.
Sincerely,
Jennifer L. Parks
Executive Director, Habitat Chicago
