Last updated: September 15, 2020
Dear Habitat friends and supporters,
As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to have an increased impact in our community, we are reviewing our practices and activities to ensure we can continue to have safe spaces to work, build and shop.
We are all feeling the effects of this worldwide health concern. We appreciate that we are an amazing team with incredible supporters, and this is an opportunity for us to support each other with patience, empathy and an offer to help whenever possible.
This is a rapidly evolving situation so we will be posting regular updates to keep us all informed about how to continue our important work of helping Alberta families achieve their dreams of home ownership.
We are currently following the guidance of Alberta Health and Health Canada in our operational decisions.
Office
- Effective March 16, 2020, Habitat for Humanity Southern Alberta’s head office in Calgary is closed to visitors.
- Staff are working remotely where possible and remain available to support you, our volunteers, donors, homeowners and partners, via phone and email.
- As of April 6, Habitat's staff will temporarily be reduced to a small core of team members whose focus will be on supporting homeowners, volunteers, donors and community members and build the foundation to return to full operations when it is safe to do so.
Calgary ReStores
- Effective May 25, the Calgary ReStores are open to the public! Hours are Monday to Sunday 9 AM - 5 PM.
- Effective May 7, Calgary ReStore customers can shop online.
- Residential donation curbside pick-ups are available for the time being
- Corporate donation pick-ups will continue for the time being.
- Review our COVID-19 safety measures.
Medicine Hat ReStores
- Effective June 8, the Medicine Hat ReStore store is open to the public. Hours are Monday to Saturday 9 AM - 5 PM.
- Residential donation curbside pick-ups are available for the time being.
- Corporate donation pick-ups will continue for the time being.
- Review our COVID-19 safety measures.
Build Sites
- As of April 6, our Calgary build sites will be secured and closed until further notice.
- Our build in Medicine Hat will be postponed until further notice.
Homeowners
- In-person Information Sessions have been cancelled until further notice.
- An Online Information Session is available to families in Calgary who meet the basic qualification through our Eligibility Quiz.
Volunteers
- Our upcoming Volunteer Welcome Sessions have been cancelled. Please check back to see when the next one will be available.
- As of July 10, we will be opening a limited number of volunteer opportunities. These will only be open to future Habitat homeowners to complete their volunteer hours.
Build Days
- All Build Days have been postponed until further notice.
- When we are able to offer this team-building experience again, we will be in touch with groups to reschedule.
Good Health Practices
Please remember, if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms (mild or severe), we ask you not go out into the community, including our office, ReStores, construction sites or other facilities.
Our team members will be enforcing these restrictions on everyone for the safety of us all:
- Fever
- Cough
- Difficulty breathing/shortness of breath
OR if you have:
- Cold, flu, or other illness
- If you or someone you live with has travelled outside of Canada
- You have a compromised immune system, underlying medical conditions, heart disease, age 65+
In addition to all of these measures, staff and volunteers who have traveled or have family members who have traveled will not be allowed to come to work until 14 days of self-isolation are complete.
During this time of uncertainty, we thank you for your ongoing support of our work in in the community.
We will continue to monitor the situation closely and will keep you updated as it evolves.
Wishing you all good health and if you have questions or concerns, please get in touch.