Shepherd’s House, a COVID-19 Success

In early March, there weren’t any nonprofit or even for-profit organizations (well, maybe with the exception of toilet paper manufacturers) that expected a COVID-19 success. Coronavirus, though not new, was not a threat Americans perceived. Then as health concerns escalated and self-isolation and quarantine became an actuality for all, except for essential and front-line workers, health and human service nonprofits were suddenly faced with increased challenges. The first critical issue became how to continue their current services and the second was how to meet new needs.

In Bend, Oregon, a resort town with only two or three nonprofits serving the homeless population, is one such nonprofit. Shepherd’s House Ministries typically provides a homeless shelter for men, many of whom do not meet the admission requirements of other local nonprofits, and a full-time recovery program. And if that weren’t enough, the ministry also runs a separate women and children’s facility, and they provide overnight stays, daily meals, and showers for other Bend homeless who choose not to be part of the residential program. According to Shepherd’s House Operations Director, Wendy Aikin, on a typical day, Shepherd’s House Ministries facilities, especially the men’s facility, are crowded; it’s busy, and it’s noisy. And while a COVID-19 success was unexpected at first, a multi-layered victory is exactly what happened.

Continuing and Expanding Services during COVID-19’s Height

One early March afternoon, Shepherd’s House leaders, Executive Director Curt Floski and Director of Development Dave Notari among them, gathered to discuss what should be done. In that meeting, they decided that shutting their doors to focus only on the thirty men in their residential program was not an option. Instead, they wanted to expand.

Initial hurdles included how to keep the thirty residents healthy, so they eliminated the overnight stays for the homeless who were not residents and moved the daily meals outdoors. Eventually, a shower truck was brought in to provide non-residential homeless a place to clean up.

Then the rising unemployment rate prompted Shepherd’s House to try offering food boxes to residents as a drive-through service. Believing there might be a need among everyday working people, on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday during the second week of March, they started giving out food boxes to locals. Some residents did show up. Then they started getting the word out a little more. By Monday, Shepherd’s House had dozens of cars in line hoping to receive a food box. The waiting cars were blocking the road and were lined up around the corner and down the street. This became a Monday through Friday service for four hours a day that continues even today, into late June.

The Food Box Heroes

As the word about this food program continued to spread with the help of local radio and news stations (stories from Central Oregon Daily and KTVZ), the community members who could give, did—in a BIG way! The need for food to fill the boxes was met through either food or financial donations.

With a small facility, all of this presented logistical issues. As cars arrived to drop off donations in one area, cars waiting to receive food boxes were moving through another. The residents of the men’s program and some residents of the women’s and children’s facility became the heroes.

According to Notari, “They [the residents] were the ones collecting donations, distributing donations, interacting with the public—seeing the need firsthand. And these were the people who had been on the streets themselves as early as three months earlier asking for help. Now they were the rock stars, the heroes, as they were reaching out to the community. It was a really beautiful picture.”

Still today the food box program continues. Though the need has dwindled some. “We’re still going five days a week,” says Dave, “and we’ve provided over thirty thousand meals and food boxes to families in need. That is three times our normal.”

Looking Ahead

In May, Shepherd’s House started internally considering whether its current services and operations are their new reality. As leadership, including the executive director along with operations, programs, and development directors reflected, they decided there is still a need in the community, so current services will remain unchanged. The men’s residential program, women’s and children’s facility, and food box program will all continue.

Then, knowing unserved or underserved elderly shut-ins and homeless exist who either cannot or will not come to Shepherd’s House facility for help, they decided to go to them. Beginning July 1, Shepherd’s House is launching a new service, SHARE (Shepherd’s House Aid and Relief Effort). According to Dave, the goal of SHARE is to have an aid van staffed with volunteers who will visit the community’s homeless camps to serve those who will not come to Shepherd’s House facility for help and shut-ins who can’t get the services they need. “There will be regular routes,” he says, “taking food, building relationships, seeing where the needs are. Our hope is that some of the homeless would begin to make their way toward us and our physical location because that is where more services are available.”

Shepherd’s House’s director offers added perspective on their new effort. According to Floski, “SHARE is building on what was already established. COVID-19 just accelerated us in the direction we were already headed—meeting those in need where they are.”

How Will You Adapt?

With COVID-19’s continued impact on our communities, Shepherd’s House is one organization that stands out for its adaptability and commitment to its purpose. “Good leadership is essential in a time like this,” says Curt. “Everyone from executive leadership to the front-line workers are continually changing, adjusting, and adapting, all while dealing personally with the things that are going on at home. The culture we’ve developed at Shepherd’s House allows us to have an attitude of grace and to be adaptable.”

Many human service nonprofits have received dramatic increases in donations over the past few months. Looking ahead, the question for them becomes how to use those donations in a way that meets their needs both now and into the future.

Coronavirus is here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future. To survive and thrive, we must adapt to new ways of carrying out our business operations and reinvent ourselves to be viable and sustainable in our new normal. I sincerely hope that this story touches you, as it did me, and inspires you to think outside the box and to rise to the new challenges we face as we strive, thrive, and serve the communities around us. I’d love to hear how your organization is responding or how we can help you work through this challenging time.