CEO Corner: How Atlanta Habitat Is Moving Forward Amid COVID-19

Dear Friend of Atlanta Habitat,

Like many other historic events, we will always remember where we were and what we were doing in March 2020 when our lives changed and suddenly, many of us were confined to our homes due to the coronavirus pandemic. Living, working and trying to homeschool our kids, we have all made many adjustments to deal with this massive change in our routines. For Atlanta Habitat, the bar was set firmly on safety. We remain determined to place the safety of our stakeholders–from our families and staff to volunteers, ReStore shoppers and supporters–as our highest priority.

Now, two months later, we know a bit more about the virus and how to protect ourselves. Keeping in mind the health and safety of every employee, Atlanta Habitat will begin a carefully phased reactivation of our on-site operations beginning on May 18.

Our Construction, Warehouse and ReStore teams will return to the Atlanta Habitat campus and to build sites to perform the tasks that can only be completed on-site. The teams will work in shifts, in different areas, and potentially at different times to limit the number of people gathered at once. Our Atlanta Habitat ReStore team has also launched an online store. These teams will follow strict safety protocols that include social distancing.

For now, we will move forward without on-site volunteers, although many of our volunteers will continue to support the mission in a variety of virtual ways, from making phone calls to check on families to helping our team make mission critical tech upgrades and supporting our homeowners through the Home Matters campaign. What this means is that, while it will take longer to build the homes that our families are counting on, we remain committed to fulfilling our mission as safely as possible for everyone.

That said, we continue to keep an observant eye on the ever-evolving pandemic, adhere to public health best practices and above all, value lives. If the situation changes, we are prepared to change with it, keeping our highest values at the forefront. This pandemic has forced all of us to change in ways we never expected. In order to emerge from it, hopefully stronger and more resilient, we will have to adapt to a “new normal” that for now, feels anything but.

On behalf of our families, staff and board, thank you for your continued support of Atlanta Habitat families as we continue to Build. Thrive. Grow.

Sincerely,

Lisa Y. Gordon, CPA
President and CEO