March 23, 2020

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To our veterans, volunteers, donors, sponsors, and community-at-large, I hope this letter finds you in good health. Our hearts and prayers are with each of you and especially with those who are affected by the virus. We will get through this.

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Harvison House has received numerous inquiries about our services and we want to make sure everyone is updated.

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We continue to prioritize the health and safety of everyone who works with us to serve veterans. On March 9th, the Board of Directors unanimously voted to suspend services (both picking up furniture from donors and delivering to veterans) for 3 weeks to prevent the spread of this virus as much as possible. We are watching the situation closely and hoping to return to service as soon as it is safe to do so.

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But the work hasn’t stopped. Here are some of the things we are doing:

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• Taking extra precautions, we delivered to the veterans we committed to prior to the suspension. We promised. We delivered.

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• We are cleaning the warehouse and the items in it to decrease the possibility of spreading the virus. This includes all furniture, medical equipment, office and shelves, everything!

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        If you would like to help us purchase cleaning supplies, please consider donating using the button above.

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• We are creating a new hygiene protocol for volunteers to better protect them, donors and veterans.

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• As you know, we are currently a 100% volunteer-powered organization (no paid staff) operating on individuals’ financial support and the financial backing of the Harvison family. Requests for services have grown exponentially and we have found that we need a box/delivery truck, commercial upholstery cleaning equipment, and a few staff to meet the demand effectively and efficiently. We are using this time to apply for grants and search for sponsorships.

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• Assist – Navigate – Educate. Harvison House currently assists veterans with the immediate need for home furnishings and medical equipment. Our long-term goals include helping veterans navigate through the daunting tasks of applying for benefits, and to educate veterans, our community, and other service providers on the tools we, as a collective, have to better serve our clients. We are using this time to develop these programs.

 

So… what does this mean for you in the short-term?

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VETERANS

You are the reason we exist and it breaks our hearts that we are unable to deliver to you at this time. Tell your case manager about us so they can get on our list to be notified when we return to service. Please know we will get back on-line as soon as we can.

 

CASE MANAGERS

You will notice that we have removed the online form you use to submit service requests on behalf of your veterans. There is no waitlist. We know you are using other resources to provide your veterans with beds and household items so a waitlist has the potential to create duplications. When it is safe to begin deliveries, we will reopen the form, email all case managers for whom we have information, and ask you to submit your veterans by priority.

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If you have submitted a request before, we have your email. If not, please “subscribe” using the simple form at the bottom of this website or send an email to vanita@harvisonhouse.org and we will get you on the list.

 

FURNITURE DONATIONS

We want to thank the donors who have called us during this suspension and told us that their furniture will be ready to pick up when we restart service. If you have furniture to donate and can hold on to it for a bit, we will be glad to pick it up as soon as it’s possible. Feel free to send us an email or text us for more information.

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SUPPORTERS

We need you more than ever! As mentioned above, our ability to handle service requests is at max-capacity and we must grow. Consider a financial donation today. Your support immediately gets used for gasoline for the trucks and/or safety gear for the volunteers. If you wish, you can designate your money to be put into the account to purchase the major equipment: a delivery truck or cleaning equipment.

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If you are in the position to make a major sponsorship or donation, we would love to teleconference with you!

In closing, there are many people walking around with the virus now so we would like to reiterate the current CDC’s recommendations for protecting yourself and others against COVID-19.

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• If possible, STAY HOME – you are not just protecting yourself, but people in our communities who are more vulnerable to serious complications from the virus.

• Keep 6 feet between you and others.

• Wash your hands often and for at least 20 seconds. If you are tired of singing the Happy Birthday song, NPR has some ideas. 

• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily.

 

Find the full list and more resources at the CDC website.

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We are a long way from knowing how this will end, but we do know it will end and Harvison House will be here for our veterans.

 

Stay healthy,

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Adam Harvison

Founder

Harvison House, Inc.

 

Additional Sources:

http://dpbh.nv.gov/coronavirus/

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/03/14/811609026/the-new-coronavirus-can-live-on-surfaces-for-2-3-days-heres-how-to-clean-them

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.09.20033217v1.full.pdf

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

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