Lamoille Housing Partnership
PO BOX 637 | Morrisville, VT 05661
(802) 888 - 5714
www.lamoillehousing.org
Special Notice from Lamoille Housing Partnership (LHP) and Alliance Property Management, Inc. (APM)
COVID-19 response update re: office operations and resident safety.
March 20, 2020, MORRISVILLE, VT:
To our Residents, Staff, Board Members, Colleagues and Friends:
As a follow up to our initial COVID-19 statement last week, we’d like to update you regarding LHP’s, APM's, and Support and Services At Home (SASH) Coordinator’s measures to address the coronavirus’ impact on day to day and future operations, as well as the respective steps we’ve taken to ensure the health and safety of our staff and residents.
LAMOILLE HOUSING PARTNERSHIP (LHP)
LHP’s physical offices closed on March 16th, and will tentatively reopen on April 6th. Our staff is working remotely, and are each available via email. We have full access to all of our electronic files to continue our organization’s critical work, enabling the continued progress on projects such Village Center Apartments. LHP has cancelled all staff travel, instate and out. Any meetings with community partners, LHP Board Members, etc. will be held virtually or over the phone.
We request that you please send all communications to LHP electronically, rather than paper through the USPS. If you must mail something to our office, please alert us to a document being sent by contacting info@lamoillehousing.org.
We are discussing internally, as well as with statewide and local partners, how we can best support each other and stay connected during this time of uncertainty. Echoing many of our statewide and local partners, this is a new change for us, and we appreciate your patience and understanding as we make these operational adjustments.
LHP staff are monitoring their own health, and have been advised to take extra precautions recommended by the Vermont Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Housing applications may be found on our website and submitted either electronically or via USPS to APM. If you are in a housing emergency, please dial 2-1-1.
Please expect future communication from us, and feel free to contact us with your questions or needs. To contact LHP at this time, please email info@lamoillehousing.org.
ALLIANCE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT, INC. (APM)
APM has contacted all LHP residents and sent directly, as well as distributed to housing sites, health and safety advisory notices based on the recommendations of the Vermont Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Residents are also being encouraged to wipe down apartment door handles and wash hands immediately upon entry to their home, and to self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms. APM has increased the frequency of housing site cleaners to disinfect common areas, elevators, door handles, laundry rooms, and other building locations.
These advisory notices also incorporate a list of local resources for financial, food, fuel and energy, and emergency assistance and include language regarding the steps to take if a residents’ job or income has been impacted.
Residents and housing applicants can contact APM by phone (802-899-3400) or by email – all paperwork can be mailed to APM’s physical address, 41 Old Pump Road, Jericho, VT 05465. Residents can continue paying rent by mailing payment to APM’s physical offices, or by submitting online via www.renttrack.com/alliance.
In an effort to ensure the safety and wellbeing of APM’s office based employees, the APM office is currently closed to all outside visitors. All meetings will be remote. Residents are instructed to call or email APM for all inquiries. Maintenance responses are now limited to emergencies only, to prioritize the health and safety of both maintenance staff and residents.
SUPPORT AND SERVICES AT HOME (SASH)
All SASH programming has been suspended until further notice, including Bone Builders, Tai Chi, Blood Pressure Clinics, Special Events and Information Sessions.
LHP residents and SASH Participants can call the local SASH Coordinator Monday through Sunday from 6:00am to 10:00pm at 802-730-7485. SASH also serves as a resource referral for anyone living in an LHP property in Lamoille County and Hardwick. The local SASH Coordinator and Wellness Nurse contact information is displayed on common area bulletin boards at LHP’s housing sites; also displayed is the local HASS Case Manager / Social Worker contact information.
SASH employees are limiting in-home visits to a case-by-case basis, and will primarily conduct their work remotely from home. If a participant’s needs cannot be facilitated over the phone, or their health or ability to stay in their home are in jeopardy, the SASH Coordinator will visit them using applicable and appropriate Standard Precautions as long as neither the SASH Coordinator or Participant has declared they have COVID-19 symptoms or tested positive for the virus. The SASH Wellness Nurse and Coordinator will conduct Annual Assessments over the phone, and regular phone check-ins will be done for elder residents identified as at risk.
SASH Coordinators connect via phone 4 times per week to discuss issues and procedures regarding Participant and employee safety, and to plan the implementation of recommendations from various governmental agencies.
Please know that LHP and APM will continue to work with our residents’ and staff’s health and safety as our highest priority, while still maintaining a high level of services for our residents and properties.
We continue monitoring the information we receive from the Vermont Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to inform our development of policies and procedures, make sure we do our part to prevent the spread of the virus, and protect us all from possible infection. We want to respond in a responsible manner that provides protection, allows us to do our jobs for our residents, and subscribes to best practices for the needs and welfare of our residents and staff.
We urge you all to take action to prevent infection as well, including:
- Social distancing
- Extra hand washing and cleaning
- Staying home as much as possible
We also ask that you continue to pay attention to your neighbors and help each other out! This is a difficult and uncertain period of time when we will feel alone, isolated, and frightened. Even though we need to take precautions, we also need to be aware of our neighbors and reach out to others. Kindness and compassion will be more important than ever.
Thank you, and take care.
Jim Lovinsky | Lamoille Housing Partnership
Carrie Lee | Alliance Property Management, Inc.
