COVID-19
Preventative Measures and Updates
Continuing to Care for our Youth and Team
A Message from the Executive Director
We want to offer some insight into how The Coffee Oasis plans on caring for “our youth” during the COVID-19 pandemic. Every hour there is new information to process, but one thing remains the same: Those experiencing homelessness are some of the most vulnerable to sickness. One newspaper noted that those experiencing homelessness are doubly at risk. Although the risk is high, those without homes are rarely mentioned in the list of those most vulnerable (pregnant women, elderly, and those with underlying conditions).
Daily we face the challenge of caring for youth who often have nobody else to care for them. They are not able to make plans to “work from home” or “rest at home” or “stay safe at home.” They have no home.
The Coffee Oasis has made plans to care for our incredible team that cares for youth, brews delicious coffee, and cares for you. For the time being, our cafes will stay open but will use only disposable cups and will be deep cleaning each location. Our centers and shelters are deep cleaning and are prepared to connect youth with medical care who need it. We will work at creating a safe environment for staff while caring for vulnerable youth. We encourage volunteers who are feeling sick, elderly, pregnant, or have underlying conditions to stay at home and rest.
Please pray with us for wisdom and protection for the homeless. We also ask for continued prayer and support as we expect this time to be financially difficult. The Coffee Oasis is funded by the sale of coffee and the generosity of donors, and both of these are threatened by pandemics and recessions. Fear often causes us to shut down and shut others out. This is a time we need one another more than ever.
We will continue to monitor the situation daily and work tirelessly to care for youth experiencing homelessness. An important partner for us in staying updated on the situation is our county and state officials who offer best practices to care for staff and youth in both our restaurant and shelter spaces. I believe we will get through this together.
– Daniel Frederick
Executive Director of the Coffee Oasis
YOUTH PROGRAM UPDATES
Updated: November 23, 2020
Kitsap County
Although shelters and homeless services have not been asked to modify their capacity, we have decided to limit our drop-in center capacity to 50% to reduce potential exposure of youth. We will be scheduling times for our youth to access vital resources (shower, laundry, etc.), so that we are able to make sure everybody is safely served. Since the beginning of the pandemic we have required the wearing of masks, taking temperature of all youth entering our centers/shelters, and general health screening questions. We are continuing with these safety measures.
We are still hosting Family Christmas Project, although it will look different this year. It is very important to us that we are able to give gifts to our kids at Christmas. This is one of those very special “normal” experiences that remind our kids they are remembered and loved. Instead of one larger party, we will be hosting multiple smaller gatherings. These smaller gatherings include the drop-in center safety measures listed above. In addition, youth will have the option to take Christmas dinner and presents to-go, or have their gifts dropped-off by wonderful Coffee O staff and volunteers.
Preventative Measures
All youth program staff will be required to wear masks while serving youth on-site or in office spaces. Furthermore, youth that attend our Drop-In Centers or meet with staff in office spaces will be required to wear masks. All our youth programs are implementing the Shelter/Day Room Guidance from the Kitsap County Housing and Homelessness Division Department of Human Services including:
Modifications to Check-in/Entry Procedures:
- Hand washing stations are placed at entrance/exit so that staff, volunteers, and guests can wash their hands before signing-in, entering the common area, or returning from the bathroom.
- We are encouraging youth and staff to participate in social distancing at the check-in area and throughout common areas.
- Following recommended health screening procedure upon check-in before entry to the shelter or day room. Additionally, youth will need to agree to have their temperature measured using a forehead thermometer before entering.
Inform Shelter/Day Room Guests:
- Directing guests to sneeze or cough into a tissue (and then throw it away) or into their elbow.
- Informing the guests about steps to protect themselves through use of social distancing and frequent hand washing/sanitizing.
Additional Cleaning:
- Disinfecting of frequently touched surfaces, such as tables, chairs, doorknobs, furniture, bathrooms, light switches, and countertops.
Pierce County
Family Christmas Project has a limited capacity for The Coffee Oasis youth in Pierce County this year. We are in the midst of moving to a larger shelter location in the heart of Tacoma and are not able to serve more youth than are currently in the shelter and outreach programs. This means we will not be having a meal and festivities for a larger community of youth in Pierce County this year. If you would like to support our youth in the shelter (6 youth) or those connected with our street/school outreach (65 youth), then we invite you to donate to this expression of Pierce County Family Christmas Project. We look forward to soon being in a location that can shelter 12 youth every night and space for a café and drop-in center!
CAFE UPDATES
Updated: November 23, 2020
The Coffee Oasis is making every effort to enforce the latest health recommendations regarding COVID-19. Our top priority is ensuring the health and safety of our youth, customers, and staff.
Here are the preventative measures we have already taken:
• Executed extended hand-washing frequency and increased wash time.
• Amplified cleaning and sanitization of all surfaces in our cafes, centers, and shelters.
• Increased deep cleaning schedules.
• Paused the use of personal cups, and fully converted to single-use cups and containers.
• Removed all self-serve condiments and accessories from our cafes.
• Continuing to encourage our staff, customers, and volunteers with any symptoms to stay home.
The Coffee Oasis is continuing to make every effort to stay open and serve our community! Following Governor Inslee’s announcement on November 15th, we wanted to assure everyone that the following locations are still open for takeout and curbside as well as stocking whole bean coffee to keep you caffeinated! Our cafes are open for their normal hours, Poulsbo is still closed for renovations. In accordance with state law, masks are required to enter. Social distancing of 6ft is encouraged whenever possible. We will post more specific guidelines at each of our cafes. We appreciate your business and ask for your compliance out of consideration of the safety of our staff and yourself. Thank you!
Cafes are Now Offering Curbside Delivery!
To place an order for curbside delivery…
1. View our menu
2. Call your preferred café
3. Order and pay with Credit Card over the phone
4. Drive to your café, call us when you are parked, and we will bring your order out to you!
WAYS YOU CAN HELP
Because of the Coronavirus, our cafes are now only open for take-out and are being negatively impacted by the closing of all restaurants for dining in. This impacts the amount of money that goes to work with our homeless youth as our cafes provide sustainable income for 50% of our program operations.
Your gift is needed now. Your gift will provide shelter and a safe place for youth to get food. You will help keep youth sheltered, healthy, and safe. Every gift counts and helps meet this urgent need.
Order from our Cafes Remotely
Place an Order for Curbside Delivery
1. View our menu
2. Call your preferred café
3. Order and pay with Credit Card over the phone
4. Drive to your café, call us when you are parked, and we will bring your order out to you!
