We’ve known that Mercy Housing onsite staff were essential frontline workers before it became a household term during the pandemic. They always will be essential to our mission. But what they accomplished in 2020 was nothing short of a miracle. The country was dealing with so much, and the impact of the pandemic was hitting people with low incomes the hardest. Practically overnight, staff became experts in CDC regulations and transformed the way we work and deliver essential services to residents in need. Employees’ innovation and can-do attitude coupled with close community relationships made the impossible, possible.

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Onsite staff braved the pandemic, leaving the safety and security of their own homes every day to ensure that residents had the support and supplies they needed to get through this trying time. The logistics and planning of food banks and pantries became very complex due to lack of supplies and social distancing requirements — staff collaborated with our partners to increase food delivery to unprecedented levels in our organization’s history. They thought of everything — from a safe way to virtually celebrate a resident’s 100th birthday to organizing live music that residents could enjoy socially distanced from their balconies. Seniors felt less isolated, and parents and children learned how to captain virtual classrooms. Staff did this day in and day out while dealing with so much themselves. With 74% of onsite staff being essential workers, we created special employee support systems and resources, and stressed the importance of time off and self-care because together and only together, would we get through this. Both residents and staff must all be healthy for communities to be resilient.

 

Mercy Housing employees’ creativity, dedication, and adaptability kept our work and mission stronger than ever. We thank staff for all that they accomplished. They matter so much to so many people and are making brighter futures possible each and every day.

 

“Those community connections we have are so vital… I think Mercy Housing mobilized quickly during COVID to support staff and to just be like, ‘What do residents need?’ ‘Let’s figure out how to do food banks again.’ ‘What do we need to do when people get COVID?’ And now, ‘How do we get residents vaccinated?’” — Liz, Resident Services Coordinator Manager