Habitat for Humanity Prince William County scales back, keeps ReStores open

We’re hearing from Habitat for Humanity Prince William County, which is scaling back some of its operations in the wake of the Chinese coronavirus.

Director Traci DeGroat pens in an email:

Habitat for Humanity Prince William County’s mission is to rally people together to ensure that everyone in Prince William, Manassas, and Manassas Park has a decent, affordable place to call home. We are community-driven. We rely on and are grateful for our volunteer labor, donors to the ReStore, donors to our programs, our family partners, our customers and our employees.

The COVID-19 pandemic is challenging us to make difficult decisions, to weigh the risks to ourselves and others, to keep in mind that we have served the community for 25 years and wish to continue for another 25 and more. With all of that in mind, we are choosing to currently remain open, but with limitations.

Construction Programs

We are two weeks shy of completing the rehab work at the Old Hickory worksite (a townhome in Manassas that is being rennovated by Habitat for Humanity Prince William County for west African immigrant). Our goal is to complete it. Volunteer opportunities have been significantly reduced and we have instituted the following precautions:

• Hand sanitizers and/or disinfectant will be available at the build site.
• Disinfectant wipes are available for wiping down tools and personal protective equipment.
• Disposable gloves will be available.
• Volunteers are encouraged to bring their own hand tools if they have them.

Home Ownership Orientation and Other Gatherings

All homeownership orientations have been canceled for March. All other gatherings and meetings have been canceled through April 16. We will monitor the situation and reschedule in the future.

Prospective Family Partners

We are not accepting applications for Home Repairs and for Home Ownership at present. Both application processes require face-to-face meetings, on-site evaluations and the handling of paperwork. We will reopen the application period when the pandemic has resolved itself.

ReStores

Both our Woodbridge and Manassas ReStores remain open for business with regular hours and with newly added Sunday hours at the Manassas store. For the safety of our customers and staff, we are employing best practices to sanitize and reduce exposure to illness, including:

• Consistent cleaning and disinfecting of frequently touched objects and surfaces
• Frequent handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
• Avoiding touching eyes, nose and mouth, as well as handshakes and high-fives
• Requiring sick team members to stay home

ReStore Donation Pick-Ups

We are limiting ReStore donations to curbside pick-ups, not only protect our drivers, but you as well from unnecessary contact. We know that for some this may be a great inconvenience. We apologize for that and hope that we can reschedule with you for a future date.

ReStore Volunteer Opportunities

We have suspended volunteer opportunities at both ReStore locations until further notice.

We respectfully ask any customer or donor who feels ill to please remain at home, take the time needed to recover, and help us support the safety and health of others. Similarly, if a member of your household has potentially been exposed to the virus through travel or other means, seek medical guidance and refrain from donating and shopping at our ReStores.

Administrative Office

Our staff continues to work regular business hours in our administrative office. However, we have instituted a liberal leave policy for all employees, administrative and ReStore, and will monitor the situation continuously.

All of the above measures are based on guidance from Habitat for Humanity International and local, state, and national public health authorities. Our approach may change as new guidance is provided.