The New Normal

It is a bit rowdy at the Community Center today. The topics of conversations swirling around involve anything from protesting to the inescapable Pennsylvania summer heat and even who won the World Cup in 2018 (it was France.) This is RCI. As we adjust to this new, COVID-19 normal, some things sound, look and feel very different. Our purpose to cultivate community through time, resources and conversation, however, remain the same. In some moments that cultivating community sounds like big ‘important’ conversations about safety and the state of the world. In others it is the comfort of equally important relationship sharing around topics like when the new Star Wars movie may be released or distanced birthday plans.   

Throughout COVID-19 some of our guidelines have changed for the safety of our community members and staff. During this time, RCI has made the decision to stay open during our normal hours because our community members often simply do not have the option to ‘shelter in place.’ Our community members do not have the luxury of looking for alternatives. RCI has become a hub for prepackaged foods, healthcare, community and support while so many other programs are in necessary flux. That means our day to day is different and ever-evolving. On a practical level, as we continue to be in constant communication with healthcare leaders and experts about what our actions need to be in order to safely operate, our policies have changed. We have added deep cleaning to our daily, after hours routine (and are ALWAYS in need of Clorox wipes!) as well as required hand-sanitizing, temperature taking, person to person distancing and mask wearing for all of our visitors as they come through the doors. This is with a reduced volunteering task-force as we try to keep all of the ones that we love as ‘low-exposure’ as possible. While this is important, it also means that we miss some of the things that we most appreciate about Ripple. We, like many, are missing the comfort of routine games, physical contact and even simple acts like handshakes and hugs.  

Another part of our new normal means that we are all learning to be creative. While our volunteer team has not been able to come into the Center for the last few months, they have supported us with cards, laundry packs, prepackaged meals and other essentials (we truly have some AWESOME volunteers.) While our normal St. Lukes University Heath Network’s Parish Nurse team cannot be on site, we are working closely with them via phone to get individuals the medical and social help they may need via their open in hospital offices. Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network’s Street Medicine Team continues to meet with community members regularly at the Community Center to take care of the routine and more urgent medical needs of those who would not otherwise be getting care. We have been able to temporarily hire two of our Community Members to participate in our supportive employment program as we simultaneously offer technical support to our friends with their daily online needs which involve things like job applications, unemployment and housing paperwork, Census info and similar work. 

Over the last few weeks, we have been working hard to reimagine how we can offer our signature restorative circles and therapeutic art activities as we continue to recognize their importance in helping our community to not just survive but to thrive. We are hopeful that resuming these activities in new ways can help Ripple to continue to do what we do which is to nurture community and connection in Allentown by fostering a sense of community among our neighbors who have traditionally been marginalized. 

To be honest adapting can be hard. It is draining to constantly be working outside of the things that we know we do well. There are days that being in relationships that are ever changing is challenging and sometimes even painful, especially as our nation and world grieve daily injustices that directly and indirectly affect us. And yet, it is in these times that we recognize how Ripple can shine.  This happens through community, relationship (even when it is messy), perseverance and a lot of grace. Thank you for continuing along with us on this journey and please check back on our Facebook page and website for updates! 

Join us next week for two community conversations!

To all our friends and community members who are hurting, angry, or scared...

To all our friends and community members who are hurting, angry, or scared…

We at Ripple Community Inc. stand alongside the black and brown voices that are calling for justice in this country and in our own community. We validate their experiences of blatant and subtle racism, unfair treatment by the police, and discrimination in our government systems. Our Community Building Center seeks to build empathy across racial, socioeconomic, political, and cultural backgrounds. As an organization, we value community, peace, reconciliation, and mutual transformation. We are committed to upholding these values and finding ways to cultivate them in others. We strive to create a community where everyone is treated equally, regardless of the color of their skin, and work to end the evil of racism. We regret any time we have been complicit to racism and we are committed to working for racial justice.

To all our friends and community members who are hurting, angry, or scared, we see you. We hear you. We stand with you.

A few reflections on caring in the time of COVID-19.

This week, thousands of our friends and neighbors are harder at work than ever, reporting to their posts as health care professionals, first responders, and essential retail workers. As the executive director of a community-based non-profit organization, my staff and I are reporting to a different kind of front line – with our friends and neighbors who are facing this crisis while homeless.

Our street neighbors live precarious lives at the best of times, but in the upside-down world of COVID-19, many of the services they rely on are suddenly unavailable. Like many people, they are scared. But unlike many people, they are also scared and without shelter, scared and without running water, scared and without a kitchen where they can safely store and prepare food, scared and without a bathroom. Many of our street neighbors have no family they can rely on, which means social service agencies are their primary support network. That means that they are now scared and lonely, which can be a particularly deadly combination.

Many of our partner organizations have made the decision to close, which is certainly the right choice in most cases. Organizations that have closed their physical doors are still actively serving the community through critical advocacy, organizing, and coordination efforts. Our organization has made the decision to continue operating for now, though this is not an easy or obvious choice. For organizations that remain open, things look a bit different, to be sure. Everyone who enters our day center has their temperature taken and gets doused with hand sanitizer, and my staff have new uniforms that include gloves and masks.

With all possible precautions in place, we continue to open the doors of our community center to our neighbors who are experiencing homelessness, where we can provide shelter from the cold and rain, where we can greet our friends by name, and where we can provide some life-sustaining, essential comfort in a deeply challenging time. More than anything, we hope that our friends will know that they are still deeply cared for by our community, even if caring looks a bit different these days.

And when this crisis passes, I hope that we, as a city, will emerge with a deeper understanding of how homelessness isn’t just a problem for people experiencing it, but it’s a weakness in our social fabric that makes our entire community less resilient. I hope, when this is over, that we will be ready to talk not just about homelessness, but about permanent, safe, affordable housing.

Sherri Brokopp Binder, PhD

Sherri is a community psychologist and the executive director or Ripple Community Inc. Ripple Community Inc. operates the first permanent, community-supported affordable housing program in Allentown. Based on the Jubilee Housing Program in Washington, DC, the RCI Village provides safe, stable, affordable housing, and the supports and connections that residents need to achieve long-term housing - and life - stability.