Tides Inn hosts homeless shelter residents to ease social distancing

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The “new normal” amidst the global coronavirus pandemic can make everyday activities, such as navigating the grocery store or scheduling a doctor’s appointment stressful.

“Imagine if that was your life every day,” said Cherish Cronmiller, director of Olympic Community Action Programs. “For homeless individuals, who often have a lot of things going on in their lives, everything is a crisis, everything is a barrier.”

For those experiencing homelessness, navigating the healthcare system is already difficult.

“Part of the reason individuals find themselves homeless is they have all these other issues they are facing, such as trauma, mental health issues, substance abuse issues and underlying physical health issues,” Cronmiller said. “Some of these issues are the same reasons it is difficult for them to find consistent healthcare.”

If you don’t have a working cellphone, a home address or email and internet access, it can be impossible to make a doctor’s appointment.

Add a global pandemic to those issues, and the barriers can seem insurmountable.

If you’re feeling sick, how do you call the COVID-19 hotline number to set up a testing appointment if you don’t have a phone from which to call?

“When all you do is face challenges, that’s absolutely exhausting to even think about, let alone experience,” Cronmiller said.

Cronmiller said helpers at OlyCAP are finding these challenges to be magnified right now, having to operate remotely.

“If someone doesn’t have any phone minutes, we can’t call them and get ahold of them to help,” she said.

Not only that, but the OlyCAP homeless shelter in the basement of the American Legion is not up to the CDC and Department of Health’s guidelines for social-distancing requirements.

“The people in our shelter are an especially vulnerable population,” she said. “Not only are they older, but many have underlying health issues.”

OlyCAP used a $345,000 Washington State COVID-19 Outbreak Emergency Housing Grant to move American Legion shelter residents to the Tides Inn & Suites, where individuals can be separated from others to maintain safe social distances.

The important thing is that each individual has their own space, their own bathroom and meals supplied throughout the day, Cronmiller said.

This will decrease the likeliness of an outbreak in such a vulnerable population. It not only protects homeless individuals, but the rest of the community, she said.

Under the plan, OlyCAP would be able to isolate and tend to homeless people if they get sick and quarantine those who are sick but not yet diagnosed, or who have been exposed to the coronavirus, but are not yet sick.

“All Jefferson County residents are at risk of COVID-19 infection,” said Tom Locke, the county’s public health officer. “We know that most people with the infection can be managed at home. For those without a home, we must urgently create shelter that meets the health standards for isolation and quarantine.”

Staff members live at the hotel and perform regular temperature checks on residents.

Local food trucks, such as Mo-Chilli BBQ, Paella House and Crust Bakery, provide meals throughout the day for the individuals.

Charles Lee, general manager of the Tides Inn & Suites, which is managed by The Victus Group, said that so far hosting guests from the homeless shelter has gone smoothly.

“We had some concerns at first, but after discussing those with Cherish, at the end of the day, the owners decided this is good for the town and good for the business,” Lee said. “We are fortunate enough because of the layout of the inn to be able to provide what OlyCAP needed.”

Lee said guests from OlyCAP’s shelter have been cordial and respectful of the property, and volunteers and OlyCAP staff have been communicative and helpful.

Hotel staff has seen volunteers deliver food and supplies on a daily basis to the hotel for residents.

“The community really steps up,” Lee said. “I’m glad we are able to do this. ... We’re prepared to provide them shelter throughout May, and beyond that, we will discuss that when the time is nearer.”

OlyCAP is also reaching out to those who live in homeless encampments to ensure they have a place to go should they need it. Each  individual must be vetted through OlyCAP first, and funding for housing during this time is limited.

“By my calculations, I can support roughly 50 rooms for people for 44 days,” Cronmiller said.

With meals and room costs, housing one person is around $125 each day, she said.

She hopes to house individuals in independent rooms until the end of the governor’s stay-at-home order, which is currently scheduled to end May 4.

But there aren’t enough rooms for everyone, so rooms are given to shelter residents first and the most vulnerable.

“Because I live in a car, they said I have some form of shelter, so I can’t get a hotel room,” said Kelly Burdette, a Port Townsend woman who has been living in her car throughout the pandemic.

“I have to use the Safeway bathroom,” she said. “That’s not safe, and not acceptable to me.”

If someone does not have shelter options that include access to water for bathing and handwashing, contact OlyCAP at 360-385-2571, or visit the website for links to assistance at www.olycap.org.