HOPE FAITH'S
COVID-19 EFFORTS.
Commonly asked questions:
Q: When is Covid-19 testing available at Hope Faith?
A: Covid-19 testing is available Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 9am - 1pm.
Q: Who is providing Covid-19 testing on your campus?
A: Heart to Heart International is providing testing at our facility.
Q: How much does Covid-19 testing cost at Hope Faith?
A: Covid-19 testing is free of charge. Although, a guest must have Covid-19 symptoms in order to be tested and be present during testing hours noted above.
Q: Can anyone get tested for Covid-19 at Hope Faith?
A: Only people who are showing symptoms of Covid-19 may be tested at HF.
*For questions about COVID-19 testing at Hope Faith, please call 816-471-4673. Free COVID-19 testing is available for all symptomatic patients who meet the Missouri state testing criteria.
Hope Faith Campus COVID-19 Updates:
ITEMS NEEDED DURING COVID-19 OUTBREAK:
As we’re working to keep our guests safe, healthy, and fed, we are asking for your assistance in sourcing bulk meal supplies to be given out in paper sack care packages. If you are able to do so safely, please bring the following to Hope Faith to provide for Kansas City’s homeless population.
Hope Faith: 705 Virginia Ave, Kansas City, MO 64106
Food Items:
Fruit cups, pudding, flour tortillas, sliced bread, biscuits, deli meat, sliced cheeses, buns, applesauce, fruit snacks, granola bars, breakfast bars, honey buns, wrapped muffins, smoothies, yogurt, english muffins, individually packaged cereals, peanut butter, jelly, individually packaged chips, cheese sticks, bottled water, juice boxes, and individual milk cartons.
Sanitation & General Items:
Spoons/sporks, Nitrile gloves (especially L-XL), disposable gloves, N95 disposable face, masks, disinfectant spray, commercial building/kitchen disinfectant, hand sanitizer (all sizes), sanitizing wipes, bleach, paper towels, trash bags, disposable rags, tissue paper, facial tissue, vitamins, vitamin C, sandwich bags, disposable plates, disposable cups, disposable napkins, brown paper sacks, and plastic sacks.
For no-contact donating, visit our Amazon Smile Wishlist.
UPDATES:
AUGUST 6, 2020
We are in need of volunteers to help in our medical tent! No medical background required. Volunteers will be trained by our parter, Heart to Heart International, on how to monitor the health of our guests by taking temperatures and asking screening questions. Help make a difference in the lives of our KC community! For more information, please visit our Volunteer Page.
JULY 30, 2020
Our longtime, on-site partner Kansas City Free Eye Clinic resumed eye care services as part of the Hope Faith Village today. Kansas City Free Eye Clinic helps people receive access to eye exams and glasses to ensure vision problems and other health concerns don’t become obstacles to new opportunities. Preventative eye exams aid in identifying underlying medical problems like diabetes, high cholesterol, and cancer, making eye services truly essential to both the immediate and long-term care of guests.
JULY 27, 2020
Thanks to your support, our team at Hope Faith is working to continually reimagine and reinvent our campus. We installed protective plexiglass in the village to further protect our community as local and national cases of COVID-19 continue to rise. As things will undoubtedly continue to shift and change, so will we. Our team is committed to this community and will continue to renovate our campus as necessary as this pandemic goes on.
JUNE 26, 2020
As temperatures continue to rise, we have seen an increase in the number of people we see on a daily basis as people come to Hope Faith Village to escape the heat by utilizing our tents, fans, coolers, hand-washing stations, and private showers.
This week we have installed ice cold water stations as well as water misters on tent fans. We know there are few places to turn for relief from the heat while area libraries and churches remain closed. Therefore, we remain committed to keeping the community cool, hydrated, and protected during these hot summer months.
JUNE 19, 2020
As our operations continue outdoors during our efforts to keep those safe during this COVID pandemic, we have begun facing another potential health concern: the weather. As temperatures continue to rise throughout the summer, we are working to protect our guests and staff from the extreme heat through extra measures.
This week, with the generous help from our friends at Fogel Anderson Construction Company, we set up three large shop fans to keep our guests cool. Additional cooling stations are on the way, and we are working to distribute personal sunscreen tubes to guests to keep them protected from the sun’s rays. For many guests, Hope Faith remains the only place to beat the heat as libraries and churches remain closed. That’s why we’re doing everything necessary to avoid closure and keep cool.
JUNE 6, 2020
A message from our Executive Director, Jaysen Van Sickle: https://youtu.be/2_JH9FHbGG8
MAY 15, 2020
As communities begin to reopen, we remain dedicated to the safety of our direct community as well the greater Kansas City community. Therefore, we will continue welcoming any guest in need of services, yet ask that other community members wanting a tour or to serve wait until we are sure this crisis is far behind us.
APRIL 16, 2020
We now have COVID-19 testing through Swope Health available on campus to those showing symptoms. Those without a home who have either tested positive or are showing symptoms and awaiting their test results are quarantining in separated rooms in the hotel down the block from Hope Faith’s campus. Our volunteer medical team has been working fearlessly to care for those in need during this time by bringing patients food, monitoring their condition, and providing professional care on the front lines. For more severe cases needing more medical care, we are working with Swope Health to transport patients to their facilities.
APRIL 10, 2020
All guests continue to receive free access to meals, emergency clothing, mail, medical care, showers, and case management. Our team has thought strategically about every pathway guests may take in order to receive services. These pathways have been separated with fencing to protect those who have not come in contact with the virus, and to get those who are showing symptoms to medical help. Quarantine is available at the hotel next door.
As a staff, we are taking every precaution we can to ensure the safety of our guests and our team. Yesterday our onsite and remote team members attended a virtual training through our partner, Heart to Heart International. This training covered how to handle PPE, proper hygiene, and how we can work to limit the spread of COVID-19 within our organization. Now more than ever, we are grateful for our community partners.
APRIL 2, 2020
Today Mayor Quinton Lucas introduced an ordinance to turn a hotel near Hope Faith into a quarantine center for Kansas Citians experiencing homelessness who have tested positive for COVID-19. The City Council unanimously approved and fast-tracked this ordinance. This decision helps preserve medical resources in Kansas City and provides an area for those who don’t have a home in which to quarantine.
We are so grateful to the entire Kansas City community for coming together to care for those experiencing homelessness and poverty. We simply cannot do this work without your support, KC! Thank you!
APRIL 1, 2020
Throughout this week, we sent a call-out through social media for volunteer medical professionals to aid in pre-screening guests. Our community graciously answered the call and now we are onto the next step! Hope Faith is partnering with Heart to Heart International to provide full on-site medical services throughout this crisis. This addition to our outdoor operations means we can continue addressing all health care needs alongside our COVID-19 prescreening and the Farmer’s Insurance First Aid Tent.
Together with JE Dunn, we are building out a space donated by SOS Pest Control just west of campus which will become our mobile medical unit. If a guest presents concerning symptoms, we can proactively refer to Truman Medical Center for testing, keeping our community as safe as possible. Planning ahead even further, we are in the process of securing a place to be able to safely quarantine those without homes with the help of our mayor.
MARCH 27, 2020
In order to help protect our vulnerable population, Hope Faith has completely changed the look of our campus and how we operate. On Wednesday, March 25th Hope Faith extended our operations outdoors becoming Kansas City’s Homeless Crisis Center.
Together with Veterans Community Project, Reconciliation Services, Greater Kansas City Coalition to End Homelessness, Team Rubicon, Team RWB, KC Water Company, JE Dunn and more, we have set up tents and sanitation stations next to our building. This new outdoor campus creates space to safely serve more guests while maintaining social distancing practices. As this outbreak has taken the whole world by surprise, we too are challenged to adequately provide for the increased number of vulnerable guests needing services.
Our daily guest count has doubled.
MARCH 25, 2020
As we are seeing a great increase in the number of people needing services, we have made the choice to extend our operations outdoors to allow us the space to be able to safely provide for guests while maintaining social distancing practices. Today marks the first day of our outdoor operations and will continue until further notice.
Hope Faith remains open to provides daily breakfast and lunch, case management, mail services, and sanitation stations to those in need. Just as before, multi-touched surfaces are being sanitized every hour on the hour, and masks, soap, and sanitizer are available to staff, volunteers, and guests. Anyone entering Hope Faith’s building or outside area will have their temperature taken and will be questioned about their recent health.
Similar to many other organizations on the front lines of this crisis, we are running low on supplies. Please consider donating your extra N95 or CDC-compliant masks, cleaning supplies, or gloves to keep our staff and guests protected. We will be here for as long as we need to, to care for those who are in critical need our services. Thank you for your support!
March 18, 2020
Hope Faith remains open and vigilant to ensure Kansas Citians who are experiencing homelessness have support.
We have increased sanitation and health measures so multi-touched surfaces are sanitized every hour on the hour, and staff, volunteers and guests have access to gloves, face masks, soap and sanitizer at all times. We added infrared, non-contact thermometers to both guest and main office entrances to keep our community safe. We will continue to monitor the situation and adjust as necessary.
Please support Hope Faith at this time by dropping off food and sanitation items listed here to Hope Faith’s campus at 705 Virginia Avenue from 8am-2pm Monday-Saturday. Or, please consider making a financial contribution to support those experiencing homelessness at this time.