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<\/p>\nPor KENDRA SITTON | Noticias del centro y la zona alta<\/p>\n
Charles West said he had no fear \u2014 or at least very little fear \u2014 when he entered the room of a woman who tested positive for coronavirus. In fact, of the entire custodial staff at Father Joe\u2019s Villages, he volunteered to clean the area vacated by the 65-year-old woman living at the transitional housing complex in the East Village.<\/p>\n
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He credits his military experience and long career in custodial work \u2014 along with Father Joe\u2019s Villages staff member training \u2014 with preparing him to clean a place contaminated with the deadly virus. .<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter we got trained with PPE (personal protective equipment) and I knew what chemicals we were using, I had nothing to worry about,\u201d West said.<\/p>\n
Although the organization uses all non-toxic cleaning supplies, West said the chemical they use to disinfect \u201ckills everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
West has worked at the Joan Kroc Center in East Village for the past two years after decades of custodial jobs. He said he intentionally came to the homelessness service provider to find a new challenge and purpose in his work.<\/p>\n
Maintenance technician lead Joseph \u201cJoe\u201d Ryan said he has worked for Father Joe\u2019s for 15 years because he knows he is helping people.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe may not be physically helping them, but we are helping them in a physical way because if we don’t maintain the buildings and put up barriers and stuff like that to protect them, who else is going to?” Ryan said.<\/p>\n
In some ways, Father Joe\u2019s Villages was already more prepared than others for the pandemic, according to employees. The staff is used to dealing with biohazards daily from people coming in off the streets. Custodians already wore masks and gloves to clean, so the only difference was wearing PPE constantly instead of only in certain situations. Lead staff also coordinated with Washington-based shelters to see what they needed to do to protect people long before the city issued a shelter-in-place order.<\/p>\n
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The organizations also weathered the Hepatitis A outbreak that ended in 2018. The city powerwashed the sidewalks daily during the outbreak and installed hand-washing stations. Ryan said not as much was done within the facility during the Hepatitis A outbreak as they have had to do during the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never seen anything like this,\u201d West said.<\/p>\n
In response to the pandemic, his cleaning protocols have been updated. The perimeter of the campus is cleaned twice per day and the inside is cleaned four times per day. An intense tracking system is in place to make sure no cleaning item is missed. It also shows where each person is at any given times so spread of the virus could be traced if need be.<\/p>\n
The maintenance staff is also working to make the facility safer. Plexiglass shields have been added between clients and employees as well as in dining areas. Separators have also been added to dorm areas, and a new ventilation system is being installed.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWhat has changed is I’ve got to find ways to protect people from catching a virus,\u201d Ryan said.<\/p>\n
Staff have also moved up the schedule for repainting. Although it was already being disinfected, new paint is being applied inside so the facility looks and smells clean. Ryan said this is to ensure clients feel comfortable and safe at the shelter instead of risking infection on the street.<\/p>\n
Along with warehouse staff, retail workers from shuttered thrift stores in the county have been repurposed on the maintenance and custodial staff. With their help, the facility has been able to keep up the new cleaning schedule. As those thrift stores gradually reopen, a contracted company is also available to fill gaps should they arise.<\/p>\n
The campus is serving less clients than before with many people moved to the convention center. Instead of hosting 350 people, it now hosts 175 people over the age of 65 or who have pre-existing conditions.<\/p>\n
So far, the facility has only had one case of COVID-19, which occurred in April. It has not spread within the campus at all.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe haven’t seen it go crazy. I think that’s due to our diligence and what we’ve done to help people and make sure that facilities are clean and nice looking,” Ryan said. \u201cI think it’s paying off.\u201d<\/p>\n