Pope Francis offered his morning Mass March 31 for those who are homeless “at a time when people are asked to stay at home.”
At the start of a livestreamed Mass from the chapel of his residence, the pope prayed that people become aware of all those who lack shelter and housing and help them and that the church would “welcome them.”
It is a concern that the staff of Joseph’s House shared long before anyone knew the word coronavirus.
“These are very tough times. Often the forgotten are even more forgotten,” said Shawn Sheekey, executive director of Joseph’s House.
The Camden facility, which was established partly through the efforts of the late Camden pastor Msgr. Robert T. McDermott, serves as an emergency shelter. It also works with individuals to connect them with needed services and find a way out of homelessness.
Currently the facility is limiting its capacity to 50 overnight guests, with cots moved into previously unused spaces so they can have five to six feet distance between them. At the entrance each night, all guests have their temperature taken, and those with a fever are taken to the hospital. The staff is insistent that guests wash their hands. Hand sanitizers are available throughout the building. While taking meals, guests are seated far apart.
Sheekey said the facility’s day services continue to be provided, including medical, mental health, substance abuse treatment and counseling, job and housing searches.
In an effort to help those the shelter cannot accommodate, as well as those who refuse shelter, Joseph’s House has set up a large tent and hand wash station outside the building and was planning to have an outdoor port-a-potty and mobile shower unit by the end of the week.
“We are trying to reach the true homeless,” Sheekey said.
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