SVDP-SF Responds to COVID-19
St. Vincent de Paul is committed to serve our guests during COVID-19
SAN FRANCISCO – March 12, 2021 – The St. Vincent de Paul Society of San Francisco (SVDP-SF) is taking important precautions to protect guests in its shelters – as well all others involved in its critical programs – due to the risk of coronavirus (COVID-19).
The organization is committed to the safety of its shelter program guests, staff, volunteers and partners. It has implemented a Preparedness Plan based on the recent recommendations by the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) regarding best practices for service providers of individuals and families experiencing homelessness. This includes educating all guests on sneezing and coughing etiquette, hand washing best practices, and encouraging staff to stay home when sick.
“As our national, state and local health systems struggle to keep pace with treatment from the rapid spread of COVID-19, the deep expertise of our staff to serve vulnerable citizens sustains our service model in responding with professionalism and compassion during this time of crisis,” said Shari P. Wooldridge, Executive Director of SVDP-SF. “SVDP-SF is committed to providing a safe, supportive environment for all.”
SVDP-SF’s MSC-South Shelter, Division Circle Navigation Center and the Riley Center: Services for Survivors of Domestic Violence’s Emergency and Transitional Housing Shelters will continue without interruption.
SVDP-SF is taking the following additional precautions:
· Creating a comprehensive cleaning schedule for regular disinfection of common areas, offering increased sanitization, and creating additional hand-washing stations at all site
· Amending the dining room facility at MSC-South Shelter to create greater distances between guests during meal times
· Putting ongoing internal staff communications in place to deploy health recommendations as the situation continues
· Encouraging all shelter residents to remain in SVDP-SF shelters during the day so as not to cross-contaminate, unless they have critical business to conduct
As the COVID-19 situation evolves, SVDP-SF will continue to monitor and follow the guidance of local and national public health authorities, the SFDPH and CDC, in order to keep its clients, staff and community as safe as possible.
SVDP-SF is deeply grateful for its dedicated staff who conduct themselves with professionalism and harness their deep expertise to provide expert reassurance and care to vulnerable people. The organization was established in 1860 on a simple principle: assist those who need help the most. This rings as true as ever today.
About the St. Vincent de Paul Society of San Francisco
The organization’s mission is to offer hope and service on a direct person-to-person basis, working to break the cycles of homelessness and domestic violence. SVDP-SF provides safety-net services to individuals and families who struggle to meet their basic needs. One hundred percent of clients are without shelter and rely on our programs to regain stability and self-sufficiency. For more information contact either Shari Wooldridge at 415-757-6568 Executive Director, Lisa Devitt Handley at 415-757-6560 Development Director or the website at www.svdp-sf.org.