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Letter to Housing Choice Voucher clients and stakeholders

Letter to Housing Choice Voucher clients and stakeholders

SHA measures to fight the spread of coronavirus

March 9, 2020

Dear SHA Housing Choice Voucher Clients and Stakeholders:

The Seattle Housing Authority is committed to doing everything we can to ensure the health and well-being of those we serve, our partners and our community, and we want to keep you informed about SHA’s response to the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19.

Currently, SHA is operating on normal hours and has not closed any of its offices or services. We are, however, on the advice of public health officials, asking everyone we work with to call, email or use our website whenever possible, rather than visit our offices in person.

The following actions are being taken to help keep our tenants, staff, partners and communities safe.

Staying home if ill

  • SHA has instructed all staff who are ill, or have an ill family member, not to come to work until they have been symptom-free for at least three days.

Social distancing

  • SHA is reducing person-to-person contact by asking staff whose jobs enable them to perform their work online from home to do so.
  • Staggered start times are offered to staff to reduce travel on congested transit.
  • SHA is postponing non-essential meetings and encouraging staff to conduct meetings as much as possible by telephone or online.
  • SHA is asking constituents to conduct business with SHA by phone, email or the website to reduce opportunities for the virus to spread, and to call your SHA contact ahead of time if you must come in.
  • SHA is ensuring adequate staffing to respond to an increase in people who contact us by phone, email or the website at seattlehousing.org. Clients or partners can call 206.239.1728 if they don’t have the appropriate contact information.
  • Some meetings, classes, workshops and other activities at SHA locations may be canceled or postponed; please check with the organizers of these activities.

Sanitation

  • SHA has instructed staff on additional personal sanitation practices to ensure they are not transferring viruses to themselves or others.
  • SHA is now cleaning common areas of buildings and offices at least daily, sanitizing door handles, railings, bathrooms, elevator buttons and other frequently touched surfaces.

The spread of COVID-19 is a public health issue. To stay informed or ask questions, you should contact:

Public Health - Seattle & King County (https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health.aspx); 206.477.3977

WA State Department of Health (https://www.doh.wa.gov/emergencies/coronavirus); 1.800.525.0127, press #. 

We know the COVID-19 virus is causing great concern and want you to know that we share that concern. SHA is taking the situation very seriously and is closely monitoring developments. We will adjust our operations further as needed and will keep you informed of any additional changes we may make to protect our community.

Sincerely,

Andrew Lofton

Executive Director