REACH Response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19)

June 23, 2020

To: All Residents
From: REACH Community Development (Building Management)

Housing stability is central to the mission of REACH. For residents that are facing disruption in their regular income due to COVID-19, REACH is taking steps to help ensure that housing stability is protected.

REACH is advocating to local, state, and federal governments for financial relief to support people who have lost income during this health crisis. REACH supports the National Low-Income Housing Coalition’s (NLIHC) recommendations, including rent assistance contained in the proposed HEROES ACT. Advocacy to help support the passage of the HEROES Act can be found online here. Since March 20, 2020, REACH has made the following adjustments to our policies:

• REACH continues to waive late fees and offer rent deferral until Local, State, and Federal state of emergencies and eviction moratoriums are lifted. Once the state of emergencies and eviction moratoriums are lifted, we will be setting up payment plans for missed and late monthly rental payments due to COVID-19 impact.

• REACH will not be pursuing evictions for non-payment of rent due to COVID-19 impact until January of 2021. We will be setting up payment plans for residents that have a rent balance based on current Local, State, and Federal state of emergencies and eviction moratoriums. This is subject to change based on updated Local, State and Federal Guidelines.

If you are not able to pay full rent, please contact the Community Manager to request a payment plan.

REACH recognizes that there will be follow-up questions about payment plans & emergency assistance. Please contact your Community Manager with questions and to discuss setting up a payment plan.

As our local counties are adjusting their COVID19 guidelines, REACH is updating our guidelines. We will send another message in July about updated guidelines for common areas, ongoing safety and cleaning protocols, and on-site scheduling of REACH staff at each property. This will be a slow process, as public health officials are still advising physical distancing and remote work where possible. Site staff are always available by phone, email, and possible video calls.

REACH will be sending out email notifications about changes to guidelines, emergency resources that are available in the community, and events that are happening. To sign up for these notifications please go to https://reachcdc.org/reach/residents. REACH will also be posting these updates and resources on our Facebook and Instagram accounts. If accessing email and online information is challenging, please call Resident Services to let them know.

May 13, 2020

REACH is committed to advocating for systems change and COVID19 has highlighted the inequities in our public policies. Here is what REACH is doing to advocate for policies that expand access to stable, affordable housing and ways you can help:

HereTogether
Vote YES on 26-210
Final Day to vote is Tuesday, May 19th. Tomorrow, Thursday, May 14th is the last day to safely mail. Otherwise, Folks Can Find Ballot Drops Here. Spread the Word.

Rent Assistance/Relief
House Democrats have released a draft of a new Emergency COVID19 Response called The HEROES Act. So far, Republican leadership has said they are not going to support this bill in its present form. The bill includes $100 Billion for Rent relief, distributing these funds through the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG), an existing program that supports emergency short-term rental assistance.
As a comparison, the last round of stimulus (CARES Act) added $4 Billion to the ESG Program.
National Low Income Housing Coalition has created this tool to send message to Congress online.

Food Access & Health Care
The Oregon Food Bank is starting a new Advocacy Effort called #EmergeStronger.
Their first actions are related to justice for immigrant workers who are not eligible for stimulus payments or unemployment support.
$10 million has already been committed by the State of Oregon. Sign the petition here to make this support ongoing.

May 6, 2020

Thank you so much for joining us on #GivingTuesdayNow!  You continue to show up for our community through your support of REACH and we are so grateful for your partnership in this work. Your support is being put to work right away to meet the needs of low-income seniors, families, and adults who call REACH home.

Many of you have included kind messages with your gift that have made us smile, buoyed our resolve, and reaffirms our commitment to keeping residents safe and stable in their homes. Here a few of the kind comments we have received:

Thank you for all the support you give us to achieve our mission. As we emerge from this crisis, let’s unite together to realize the positive transformations that are possible for our community!

Missed #GivingTuesdayNow? There’s still time to give! Let’s show our community how much we care! Make a gift today.

April 29, 2020

Thanks to everyone who joined REACH for our first LIVE broadcast with CEO, Dan Valliere, and guest speakers including REACH staff, residents, and the HereTogether campaign. REACH is committed to keeping residents stable in their housing and we appreciate your shared belief in this vision where everyone has a place to call home.

At this critical time, REACH needs financial support more than ever to respond to COVID19. Your donation supports REACH staff working to keep buildings operating and provides increased access to emergency food and supplies. Please consider making a gift today.

April 24, 2020

REACH staff is bringing their best to work day after day during the COVID-19 emergency. We are dedicated to our mission and making sure residents remain stable in their homes. A message was shared today with staff that exemplifies the passion and steadfast belief in our work. The subject line was titled: “Today is a wonderful day!” 

“One of my most favorite things to do is to move people into our housing. Today I moved in a resident that took 2 months to process due to COVID. His life story is amazing and our housing at 72Foster has changed his life so that he has closer access to the things that he needs in his everyday life.  You could feel his gratefulness and relief that he is finally in his home.  So once the move-in inspection was complete and I handed him his keys to leave, I shut his door and I have to say my eyes got misty.  I knew at this moment in today was special and that REACH, as our mission states, provided safe and sanitary housing to someone in great need.”

- Jhauna R., REACH Portfolio Field Trainer

We truly appreciate the hard work and dedication of REACH staff, especially during these stressful times. We are all contributing to making things better for people and we couldn’t do this work without passionate team members and incredible support from our partners and community.

April 21, 2020

The COVID-19 crisis is magnifying long-standing inequities impacting marginalized communities and households with lower incomes. REACH continues to focus our energy on home and community; supporting the 2,400 households we serve. We’ll be covering the following topics:

• REACH’s emergency response so far.
• Financial and social impacts being felt by residents and staff.
• Update on new housing under construction, nearly 400 new homes coming this year.
• Ways you can help REACH advocate for more change, including Metro’s HereTogether ballot measure.

April 1, 2020

When you plan your grocery shopping for this week please remember that this week is a critical time for people on limited resources. Many people’s WIC/SNAP benefits come at the first of the month and there will be a surge as these families redeem them. Many of these families’ benefits were depleted more quickly because children are staying home from school and some families are going hungry. Many of our elders and disabled peers will be getting their SSI and SSDI on the first as well.

Let those with the greatest needs shop first. If possible, please refrain from shopping on April 1st through April 10th unless absolutely critical. Give people space to shop and try to save items that are designated for WIC unless you absolutely need them. Remember those on fixed incomes may not be able to afford to stock up on large amounts of food and paper products and often have things budgeted and planned to the dime.

If you have overstocked on toilet paper, please consider donating to REACH or other service provider.

March 31, 2020

Like you, we also need to stock up to serve REACH residents. Please check out our Amazon List of Supply Needs, or if you have bulk items to donate please visit our website here.

The greatest needs include:

• Diapers
• Wipes
• Formula
• Baby Food
• Pet Food
• Paper Towels
• Toilet Paper
• Dishwasher Pods/Detergent
• Feminine Hygiene Products
• Money for Laundry (quarters)
• Laundry Detergent
• Hand Soap
• Disinfectants
• Masks
• Gloves
• Household Cleaning Supplies
• Commercial Cleaning Supplies

March 26, 2020

Wow.  It’s been quite a couple of weeks. How are you?

I hope everyone is home, healthy, and safe.  As we are practicing social distancing, home has become 24/7, and REACH’s top priority is maintaining housing stability for our residents so they can remain healthy during the COVID-19 outbreak. REACH is quickly making significant changes to our processes and policies in response to COVID-19 to keep vulnerable residents and staff safe. These include:

Increased Resource and Service Needs
There is an increased need for food and essential items and our Resident Services team is working swiftly to support resident health and housing stability during this pandemic.

Rent Payment Plans
REACH will offer payment plans, waive late fees, and not pursue any evictions for non-payment of rent for those financially impacted by COVID-19.

Additional Cleaning
REACH has hired special vendors to conduct deep disinfectant cleaning in buildings reserved for seniors or people with disabilities; in addition to increased cleaning performed by staff.

Emergency Compensation and Paid Time Off
REACH has established an Emergency Time Off Bank as a supplemental, emergency resource for staff (in addition to existing PTO) to keep employees whole in pay who are unable to work due to childcare responsibilities or is ill with COVID-19 related symptoms (or a dependent family member). On-site essential staff will also receive additional emergency pay compensation when essential tasks must be done on-site.

Technology Needs
Purchasing additional laptops, scanners and mobile accessibility equipment to facilitate remote work for all departments when they are not performing essential functions on-site and to stay connected to residents. 

This is an unheard-of situation. I don’t yet know all the ways Coronavirus will affect residents or REACH as a whole. REACH is experiencing a significant increase in costs to meet the additional needs of our staff and residents during this evolving health crisis.  We are focused on how to help residents get through this crisis. 

How can you help? Make a donation.

Your gift will allow REACH to stay nimble to the changing environment and best support our residents in maintaining housing stability and meet basic needs. Flexible support will assist REACH in pivoting resources to the greatest need as this emergency unfolds.

We are all in this together… from a distance. These are unprecedented times, and your support is more important now than ever. If you can, please make a gift today.

Wishing you and your loved ones stay healthy and safe.

In Gratitude,

Dan Valliere
CEO REACH

PS. Here’s a look behind the scenes in a recent video message to staff as we adjust to operations during the COVID-19 health emergency.

March 20, 2020

Housing stability for all residents is REACH’s top priority. REACH is taking steps to help ensure that stable housing is protected for residents that are facing disruption of regular income due to the impact of social distancing associated with slowing the spread of COVID-19.

Effective today, March 20, 2020, for all REACH managed properties:

• REACH will waive late fees and offer payment plans in April and May due to late monthly rental payments from residents whose income is impacted by COVID-19.
• For at least the next 60 days, REACH will not be pursuing any evictions for non-payment of rent due to loss of income associated with COVID-19.

These policies will be extended further depending on the duration of the public emergency.

REACH has always offered payment plans and even sometimes emergency assistance to help people who miss rent in a crisis. The official Eviction Moratorium’s announced by cities and counties are welcomed and reflect the way REACH already does business.

Housing stability is central to REACH’s mission and now is the time for advocacy.

Payment plans will not resolve the financial crisis for all residents; large scale financial relief is needed. This crisis reflects the fact that our social safety net in the U.S. is frayed and inadequate. There are very few sources of relief for low-income renters who face an income crisis due to reduced hours, temporary furlough, and layoffs. Because the COVID-19 crisis is so large, REACH is advocating local, state, and federal governments for equitable financial relief for people who have lost income during this health crisis.

REACH supports the National Low-Income Housing Coalition’s (NLIHC) recommendations to Congress which includes “emergency rent assistance” for all low-income renters. We are asking everyone to contact their Federal Congressperson to advocate for financial relief for Renters and Low-income individuals. You can find phone numbers and email addresses for your Congressperson here.

March 16, 2020

REACH’s main office will be closed to the public beginning Tuesday, March 17, 2020, in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect the health of our staff, residents, and community members.  This will remain in effect until further notice.  We will continue to provide updates on REACH’s response and efforts to support our residents during this time.

March 13, 2020

We are in an unprecedented period of time as the Coronavirus (COVID-19) has been declared a global and local pandemic.  We all have a responsibility to do what we can to limit its spread, and I wanted to let you know REACH is taking action to reduce the spread of the disease and protect staff and the families, individuals, seniors, and veterans we serve.

Based on what we know as of today, we have made the following temporary changes to daily operations at REACH:

Staff Social-Distancing

• All non-essential meeting and group gathering have been postponed.
• Each Department is establishing plans for staff to work remotely where it is possible.  Of course, at REACH some of our most essential work involves direct service to people and cannot be done remotely.
• Maintaining social distancing of at least 6 ft between people.
• Community Builders Program has suspended all home assessments and repairs to decrease contact with high-risk populations.

REACH Buildings / Communities

• Staff is disinfecting surfaces in common areas, door handles, horizontal surfaces, elevator panels and restrooms at least twice daily.
• We are contracting with our vendors to conduct a deep disinfectant cleaning for buildings with vulnerable populations.
• All resident events, programs, and workshops at sites are cancelled until further notice.

Resident Support

• We are working to expand food and supplies in existing REACH food pantries.
• Resident Services Coordinators will work with residents needing additional food and/or rental assistance to ensure housing stability.
• We have posted CDC Coronavirus fact sheets and preventative measures our residents can follow.

Many have asked how they can help support residents at this time. First, keep yourself and family healthy and follow guidelines to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Second, consider supporting REACH and other organizations that are serving vulnerable people as we enact recommended CDC guidelines and provide additional support, resources, and services to vulnerable people.

REACH staff are on the front line of keeping our community resilient in the face of disruptions that disproportionately impact low-income households. Now more than ever, your contributions to REACH, and other direct service organizations, will allow us to continue and expand delivering critical support and services to support people’s health. 

We will stay focused on promoting the health and safety of residents, employees, and the community.  In the meantime, please take care of yourselves and those close to you. Seek to help neighbors and others in need as you are able.