Partner Opportunities During this pandemic

Partner opportunities ...

We're keen to reboot our partner program as soon as we know it's safe for our clients, staff and volunteers. We anticipate that we'll make calls sometime in May for the following:

 1. Volunteers who can work at least 8 hours a week alone or in pairs
 2. Groups of 8-10 who can work on the weekend without clients to get us ready to reopen
 3. Two full-time Monday through Friday 9am--5pm summer interns.
 4. Groups who can come to our center for a special two-hour event for clients of high value but limited interaction. (e.g., a social distanced activity like a worship band, individual crafts or special meal).

  We need to know our clients are safe and won't go through an infection cycle before we can reboot our volunteer program and indoor events. You can call our home team (512 553-3796) to register your interest in any of these once we are able to proceed.

Before the virus!

One of our clients speaks to a group of volunteer youth from Covenant Presbyterian Church, who included SYMin in their annual "Love Austin" community service event. They were the last group that was able to mingle with clients before the coronavirus restrictions took hold. We look forward to group events returning when it's safe for all. Give our home team a call at 512 553-3796!

What's ahead!

To address the clothing crisis, we are talking to a local laundry to provide a service to replace doing the laundry at the Drop-in temporarily. It will increase our costs, but clients need to feel clean and put together.

   We know that a financial crisis is coming. Almost all our clients lost their jobs when the city was shut down, and bills are coming due. We don't provide direct emergency financial support, but we are looking for organizations that can. We also have been encouraging job searches. Lots of people are hiring.

   We also expect a wave of evictions in June or so. Many clients have had their bills deferred, but we don't expect such bills to be forgiven. Many will lack resources to catch up. We'll be ready with guidance about how to bounce back from eviction if it does occur. We also plan to launch learn-and-earn to help our clients get more financially literate and re-enter the job market.

    We are concerned that our clients may become COVID-infected once the "lockdown" in Austin is ended. Our clients have not proven they can reliably observe social distance -- just as most young people have not. If one client gets the virus, the rest are likely to get it in clusters. While we will pray the impact is minor for most, we know some who will likely be compromised. The worst is yet to come and, unfortunately, their exposure will require they be quarantined from our services. For this reason, we are taking a cautious approach to re-opening of our Drop-in Center.

   Finally, we know from the 2008 financial meltdown that events like our unemployment situation impact the rate at which we see future clients. We anticipate that 2021 will see a surge in clients because of many factors. Some will be from families that experienced increased economic turmoil in 2020. Some college students will be forced to drop out of college and some will experience homelessness. But we'll be here with proven resources and guidance to help them recover and find their way.

In era of coronavirus, SYMin puts a dent in clients' needs!

The coronavirus (or COVID-19) pandemic is here, and so are we, although we've modified our outreach to accommodate the shelter-in-place restrictions.

We've split into two teams:
1) Our Home Team, staff working the phones from home to locate resources for clients in an environment that changes almost daily.

2) Our Drop-by Team, staff posting themselves at the Drop-in Center to receive clients outside our gates -- with a smile, with a meal, usually hot, and with supplies. They also receive in-kind donations.
Most of our clients who were doing well have been laid off and have no means to support themselves. Some are housed, others are living outside. We have served 150 people in the past approximately 30 days. We have lost track of 150 clients whom we served the previous six months.

We are seeking them and praying to hear from them soon. We want to know they are well and safe. We want to know how to pray for them. We want to be there for them.

Terry, above, and Billy, below left at gate, kept proper social distance in distributing items to clients as part of the newly formed Drop-By team working out of the Drop-In Center under terms of the temporary stay-at-home order. Some items, bottom right, are available through self-service outside our Drop-in Center to give clients some choices while still keeping social distance

Guadalupe Street, usually bustling with autos and sidewalk traffic as UT students march to and from classes, was eerily quiet after the imposition of stay-at-home orders from the city of Austin. That's SYMin mascot Rosie Cole patrolling the suddenly wide-open spaces.