During these times of uncertainty, we are more reliant on financial contributions to help the families we serve stay fed and housed. All across the country, people are beginning to receive stimulus checks from the federal government to help people in economic crisis from the coronavirus pandemic. We have established a “Pay It Forward” stimulus campaign for just this purpose. Whether you choose to donate some or all of your stimulus check, please know that we greatly appreciate your generosity and will use those resources wisely to support the needs of both our shelter and aftercare families during this crisis. A large number of the parents have lost their employment and the needs of the children has become greater without the support of the schools and daycares. If you are interested in supporting us with a tax-deductible donation online, please click here.

We have created an Amazon Wish List for COVID-19 specific needs. Many of these items are to help the children living in our emergency shelter cope with being out of school with limited resources for activities or items to help with sanitation.

April 15, 2020

Dear Friends-

You may have heard by now that the City and County secured 225 rooms at the RTP-Marriott hotel for Durham residents experiencing homelessness as a response to COVID-19.  For the past two weeks or so, FMF's Management Team has met almost daily to finalize plans and discuss the feasibility of this move.  It has been a real challenge to navigate the logistics of the move while still continuing to offer our supports and services to guests, but please know that we’re all working overtime to ensure that we rise to this occasion.

We are grateful to our community partners for considering the needs of families residing in our emergency shelter program, but we have come to the conclusion that it is not the best option for the agency. This has been a difficult decision, and over the last several days, I’ve spoken extensively with colleagues, City and County staff, and public health professionals to get information and advice. My biggest issue with the hotel plan was that my gut was telling me that it was probably better for the health of the staff and potentially worse for the health of our guests. I was not comfortable with that dynamic. While the hotel is a no brainer for our friends at UMD, FMF families would, in many cases, be in rooms smaller than their shelter rooms, with upwards of 150 UMD guests, with no clearly defined protocols, and kids that would very likely be bouncing off the walls. There’s a lot that could go wrong there.

I spoke Durham County Public Health Director, Rod Jenkins, on Saturday morning about the proposed hotel plan, our accommodations at FMF, and additional precautions we were planning if we stayed put. Mr. Jenkins was not willing to make a strong recommendation to move our families and staff to the hotel after he learned of our physical layout and those planned precautions. He acknowledged that there were elements of the hotel plan that could be hard to control. At this point, I had written endorsements from two public health experts familiar with FMF supporting a decision to stay onsite with these additional precautions. I confirmed with our contact at the Community Development Department at the City that we would still be able to access the soon to be confirmed “sick” hotel if any of our guests at FMF exhibited symptoms consistent with COVID-19 and that we wouldn’t have to “go it alone” if we stayed put.

I have always tried to engage my staff, solicit their honest opinions, and whenever possible, include them in decision-making. I also feel strongly that in direct service work, it’s important to get feedback directly from your program participants to ensure that you are meeting their needs and are being responsive to their concerns. On Saturday evening, we polled both staff and guests about the two options, and a clear consensus emerged - both groups wanted to stay. I want to publicly thank both Ann Tropiano, our Director of Residential and Support Services, and Tasha Melvin, our Director of Partnerships and Programs, for having the courage to ask tough questions, under difficult circumstances, ensuring that we’re doing right by our guests. The whole staff at FMF has been so impressive to me in these last few weeks, and I am truly humbled to be a part of something that is clearly much bigger than any one of us. So we’re staying.

This week FMF is moving families from the first floor to new rooms to eliminate shared bathrooms. We are closing the kitchens and common areas and working with Tom Meyer’s “Love & Nourish” project to provide three healthy meals a day to all of our guests. We’ve provided masks to all staff and guests and are reminding each other to wear them whenever we’re in contact with others. We will continue to do the cleaning and sanitizing that we have been doing for almost a month now. And our plan, when our infrared thermometers arrive (hopefully) later this week, is to begin daily temperature checks for all shelter guests to promote good health and quickly identify anyone who may be experiencing the symptoms of the virus. We’re all doing more to protect both our guests and the staff.

I wanted to share my decision-making process and rationale with you, our supporters, since it is very different than what was widely reported late last week. I have spoken with the Chair of the County Commission Wendy Jacobs to share the process behind of our decision. I’ve also exchanged messages with Mayor Schewel to make sure that he’s in the loop. These are challenging times. We don’t have much in the way of a pandemic playbook, but I think that this is the right decision for the agency and am prepared to stand by it.

Many folks have asked what they can do to support the families and staff at FMF during this time. The thoughtfulness and volume of those inquiries has meant the world to me. We have asked our faithful rotational partners to help us cover the costs of the meals being brought in three times a day for all of our guests. Our COVID-19 Amazon Wish List is being updated regularly with the items we need to support our guests and their children. We ask for your help by purchasing those items online and having these necessities shipped directly to FMF without having to leave your home, or even change out of your pajamas. Thanks to the folks who've already sent in items from our Wish List, dropped off donations, and made masks. 

What we need more than ever right now is the financial support of individuals like you. Many of us have received stimulus checks (or will be soon) from the federal government to support the many folks out of work and unable to make ends meet. If you’re still working and making ends meet, I’m hoping that you’ll see this as an opportunity to pay it forward. We have established a “Pay It Forward” stimulus campaign for just this purpose. Whether you choose to donate some or all of your stimulus check, please know that we greatly appreciate your generosity and will use those resources wisely to support the needs of both our shelter and aftercare families during this crisis. Thank you for going above and beyond for FMF and our guests.

Sincerely,

Ryan J. Fehrman