Julie. The director of development for a homeless shelter.

Julie is as busy as ever. 

As the director of development for a nonprofit homeless shelter, she is responsible for raising the financial support necessary for her organization to provide critical services to the guests they serve. The need for safe shelter, access to food, mental health care and rental assistance, for example, does not disappear during a pandemic. If anything, the need becomes greater.

“Our jobs are stressful to begin with,” said Julie, a mother of four adult children. “We are dealing with people’s lives. When you throw all this on top of it, it is like a nightmare. Not only am I worried about my own family, I am worried about my guests, too. I know them personally. It is hard. It is very difficult.”

The shelter, located in suburban Chicago, also provides transitional living services and homeless prevention services. Some guests need substance abuse counseling. Those counseling sessions can no longer take place in person due to the Coronavirus pandemic and the state’s shelter-in-place order. The only option is remote sessions for the time being. 

The majority of the shelter’s nearly 30 employees — Julie included — are required to work at home at the moment. Only eight operational staff members remain at the shelter each day to conduct essential services like meal preparation. That leaves the shelter’s guests more alone than they have ever been. 

“They have lost all their support,” she said. “Some of them depend on us for help in getting a job or staying sober. And they are alone. Everything is ripped away from them.” 

SHIFTING DEMANDS DURING A PANDEMIC
In early March, the shelter was trying its best to respond to the challenges the growing pandemic was creating and still maintain a normal level of care for its guests. But as social distancing guidelines became more strict, the small shelter was not able to carry on as usual. 

For example, the community living area of the shelter is an open space with bunk beds for guests. At first, the shelter was told to have bunks 3 feet apart from one another. Then, they were told to increase that distance to 6 feet. The shelter could not meet those guidelines while maintaining the usual number of beds — there simply was not enough room to space the bunks apart that much. Thanks to the generosity of some donors, however, Julie said the shelter was able to provide individual hotel rooms for about 20 guests who were living in the community area.

“We basically told our guests, ‘If there is somewhere else you can be, you are probably safest going there. If not, we are going to do everything we can,’” Julie said. 

The hotel rooms will cost the organization $36,000 a month. As of now, the shelter can pay for them through April. It is uncertain if the shelter can, and will need to, pay for hotel rooms in May.

Since Julie is in charge of fundraising for the organization, she feels extra pressure at the moment to identify all avenues available for financial support. On top of existing grants the shelter had in place, there are a number of new sources of funding becoming available from the federal government. Learning what new funding programs the shelter qualifies for, and ensuring applications are submitted on time and in compliance, is Julie’s responsibility.

“As the development director, I have to oversee all of it and understand all of it,” she said. 

Sometimes, the stress is overbearing. And Julie admits she has moments where she feels completely defeated. In those moments, though, the shelter’s mission and the people she serves empower her to continue despite the challenges. 

“My life is still way easier than the guests I serve,” she said. “If they can keep going with all the hardships they are facing, I can definitely do it.” 

To cope with the stress, Julie also said she tries to watch “mindless TV” — shows that allow her brain to take a break. Jigsaw puzzles help, too. She can’t seem to focus when she tries to read a book, however. Her mind will wander to all the work she needs to do.

BIG DECISIONS AND BIG IMPLICATIONS 
Julie is grateful her homeless shelter was able to host its annual gala earlier this year in January. For most nonprofits, galas are essential to raise critical operational funds to carry out their missions throughout the year. But they also entail large groups of people gathering in one space, and many organizations have had to cancel their biggest events of the year in recent months due to shelter-in-place and social distancing orders. 

The next event Julie’s shelter has scheduled is in July. With all the uncertainty over how long the Coronavirus will require people to remain at home, her organization wonders if that event will need to be postponed. At the moment, her team is at a standstill due to the uncertainties and the headaches that could come with reorganizing logistics for a large community event. 

“Do we start ordering t-shirts and supplies?” Julie wonders. “Can we pencil in a date in August instead?”

Every decision she and her colleagues make has major implications on the shelter’s services and level of care they can provide to those they serve. Julie keeps that in mind every day. And it weighs on her. 

“It’s a heavy toll to have to think about every decision we make could affect our guests,” she said. “It could affect their health and wellbeing and potentially their life.” 

SMALL STEPS
When my aunt tells me she is trying her very best right now, I believe her. She is, without a doubt, extremely busy. We rescheduled our phone chat twice last week due to her work demands. Her colleagues needed her help. The guests at the shelter needed her help. She was there for them because that is her job and she takes that job seriously. 

When we did speak, she sounded distressed and exhausted. Rightfully so. On top of work, my aunt worries about her mother (my grandmother) who recently spent four days in the hospital due to a non-COVID-19-related illness. One of her daughters, too, works in a hospital in another state, and is possibly exposing herself to the virus. Should either of them get sick, Julie would not be able to visit them due to current hospital regulations. My aunt and I talk honestly with one another about how scary life feels at the moment. No one knows, either, when things will get better. 

If my aunt can improve things, even in the smallest of ways, she is going to. At least, she is going to try. 

For instance, last week some residents who are part of the shelter’s transitional-living program were going a bit stir crazy. The program provides guests with individual dorm-like rooms, and while they can remain at the shelter for the time being, social distancing rules mean they spend most of their time in those small spaces. Was there some other area they could use, the guests asked? At least to break up the monotony of their days?

To provide some relief, Julie coordinated having an outdoor table and chairs put in the shelter’s backyard. Days later, when she was at the shelter responding to an emergency, she saw someone enjoying the outdoor set. A shelter guest was sitting in a chair playing his guitar. 

Being able to provide a bit of joy like that for a guest brings her bit of joy, too.

LEARN MORE ABOUT JULIE…

WHAT IS YOUR INSPIRATION TO KEEP GOING?
“The guests at the shelter. If they can keep going, I can, too.”

WHAT ARE YOU GRATEFUL FOR AT THIS MOMENT?
“ I am grateful for the good health of my family, and that we all have been protected so far.” 

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO WHEN THINGS “GET BACK TO NORMAL”?
“Uncle Greg and I just had our 30th wedding anniversary, and we were going to plan a trip for May or June. Now, I am just looking forward to doing that maybe in the fall.”