By Rebecca Jolliff | Grants Manager
The coronavirus pandemic hasn’t stopped Raphael House from being a lifeline for survivors of domestic violence—in fact, families need us now more than ever! Over 400 adults and children rely on Raphael House for shelter, food and hygiene supplies, housing, safety planning, financial assistance, and help with navigating any challenges that endanger their safety and stability. Thanks to our dedicated community of supporters--and a generous microgrant from GlobalGiving!--we're working round-the-clock to ensure survivor families stay healthy and safe during this crisis.
Life in our emergency shelter
We have a house full of families, and we're still here to support everyone in healing and rebuilding after abuse! Our team has continued to help survivors move from our shelter into their own apartments over the past month. And we're screening in new families as space becomes available.
Some of the many changes we’ve made to protect the health of our residents and staff include supplying families and our team with masks to wear whenever outside their room; providing all assistance by phone; and installing mini fridges in each of our private bedrooms to limit time spent in our communal kitchen.
Helping families stay stable
Many of the families in our community programs have been struggling to meet their basic needs. That’s why we’ve been delivering food boxes, activities for kids, and hygiene supplies directly to survivors' homes. In fact, our team distributed over 4,000 pounds of food in March alone – more than double what we usually provide each month.
Our advocates are also continuing to offer wraparound support to families over the phone – everything from navigating unemployment to advocating with landlords. Plus, this month we launched our first ever virtual support group series.
We're here for young survivors, too!
Our advocates have been busy supporting the more than 300 children and teens in our programs — from helping families navigate e-learning, to assembling and delivering Activity Kits filled with games, toys, and art supplies.
For each of the 20 growing kiddos in our emergency shelter, we’ve also been picking up healthy lunches from Portland Public Schools daily. And these families have all been provided with a laptop to make online learning and social distancing easier!
Your support makes these vital services possible. Thank you for standing with survivors!
By Rebecca Jolliff | Grants Manager
By Rebecca Jolliff | Grants Manager
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