Phoenix City Council approved more beds in local homeless shelters and employees are welcoming this change with hope and optimism.
The decision was made earlier this month to increase the number of beds at Central Arizona Shelter Services (CASS), property of the Human Services Campus, by 275, and workers are ready to bring more people safely off of the streets and into their shelter.
Mary Glennon, the Director of Programs at CASS, said that her employees are generally not concerned by the increased capacity of residents.
“I think we’ve had people over the last year who have had concerns and left over it but right now we have a core group of people who’ve been in it with us for awhile, and ultimately COVID is a concern no matter where they go so they know that,” Glennon said.
In following CDC guidelines, CASS is requiring all team members and clients to wear masks on the campus in addition to using plexiglass barriers, bleach and hand sanitizer.
Lisa Glow, the Chief Executive Officer at CASS said she is confident with the measures they have put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19, even with the increase of residents.
She said all of their staff has had the opportunity to be vaccinated with vaccination clinics open four nights a week to the residents. Glow also said she believes her staff’s initial worry about health and safety with residents in close quarters dissipated with maintenance’s persistence in following their cleaning mandates, including bi-weekly cleaning and a deep clean once per week.
The Maricopa County Public Health Department formed a partnership with CASS in response to the pandemic to provide Glow and her team with the reassurance and support they need to continue operating in a safe and efficient way.
“They’ve been instrumental in making sure we’ve had testing and vaccinations available for the frontline workers who are working in the homeless services arena, and also for homeless clients,” Glow said.
“We have been really diligent during this whole time with our cleaning protocols, requiring masks for clients and staff,” Glow continued. “We have great partners who have been doing weekly testing, and we have a great partnership with the Human Services Campus helping coordinate overall efforts, so I’m not worried.”
Amy Schwabenlender, the executive director at HSC, said that these partnerships and collaborations are vital to the battle against homelessness in Phoenix.
“We do a lot of collaboration and coordination because everyone who works here across all organizations knows that we can’t end someone’s homelessness without working together,” Schwabenlender said.
According to a Maricopa County report, nearly 7,500 individuals are without homes. The decision to increase more beds is game-changing for those who use shelter services, especially for those who are elderly or have chronic health conditions.
Schwabenlender having to turn residents away because they were at max capacity was tough, but this newly approved vote has given potential residents another chance at getting back on their feet before extreme temperatures hit.
“I get asked the question ‘where can I go?’ and I have to tell people I don’t know, because CASS has been full every night,” Schwabenlender said, “at least if we can start sheltering more people we can decrease the number of times we tell people ‘I don’t know where you can go.’”
Contact the reporter at mgmcbri1@asu.edu
