Most Hope Lodges to remain closed due to continuing COVID threat

The safety of our Hope Lodge guests, volunteers, and staff tops even our desire to serve. We had hoped the coronavirus infection rates would have declined significantly by now, however the pandemic continues to be a threat. For that reason, the vast majority of our Hope Lodge facilities will remain closed until sometime in 2021.

As a result of low infection rates and the extraordinary safety measures the community partners are willing to make, we have reopened the Hope Lodge in Rochester, MN (pictured here). Additionally, the Hope Lodge in Puerto Rico has implemented strict safety measures and has reopened with limited capacity.

We are discussing with local community partners in Omaha, NE, and Kansas City, MO the potential for reopening Hope Lodge facilities there. This would be contingent on infection rates remaining low, and the partners willing to commit to strict safety measures.

Or course, this decision to keep most of our Hope Lodge communities closed affects our Hope Lodge staff. Here’s how:

• We will say goodbye to 189 Hope Lodge staff, most of whom are currently on furlough, with the expectation that we will eventually be able to hire for those respective positions in the future.
• We will move the managers of the 26 Hope Lodge facilities not expected to reopen in 2020 to a furloughed status effective after Oct. 23.
  
• The Rochester, MN and Puerto Rico Hope Lodge staff will remain active as those lodges are operational.
• The 10 furloughed staff in Omaha and Kansas City will remain on furlough until we either establish a specific date for reopening or determine that we cannot open those locations in 2020.

All staff directly impacted by this decision have been notified. Impacted staff eligible for severance will receive it as outlined in ACS’s current severance policy.

We all look forward to the day we can safely welcome guests back to all our Hope Lodge communities. A comprehensive reopening plan developed in partnership with our referring health systems will be based on the best public health guidance at the time and is expected to include:

• Reinstatement of furloughed Hope Lodge managers
• Hiring other necessary support positions (previous staff will be encouraged to apply)
• Appropriate on-site safety measures and procedures will be implemented as needed including plexiglass barriers, sneeze guards, and hand sanitizer stations, as well as thinking through common area utilization in our kitchens and dining rooms to ensure safe social distancing
• Appropriate testing for staff and guests

*Shared from MySocietySource.