Salvation Army says Fort Worth homeless shelter residents must wear face masks
The Salvation Army isn’t waiting for local governments to require face masks, as a way to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The nonprofit agency announced Friday that it would immediately begin requiring that residents of its homeless shelters, including the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Social Service Center in Fort Worth, wear face masks in all public places. Masks will be provided to those who enter the facilities, an official said.
The Mabee Center provides meals, counseling and other services to about 486 people per day, including an average of 220 people who spend the night inside the Fort Worth facility.
The new requirement comes on the same day that Dallas officials announced that 17 people had tested positive for coronavirus at an unidentified homeless shelter, and that an estimated 200 people had been exposed.
Region-wide, the Salvation Army has ordered more than 50,000 mask as it continues to provide services throughout the North Texas region during the COVID-19 crisis.
“As the region’s largest provider of social services, it’s our responsibility to mitigate the spread of a virus among those who are at heightened risk,” Blake Fetterman, executive director of the agency’s Carr P. Collins Social Service Center, said in an email. “Homeless shelters are facing complex challenges during this pandemic but we’re committed to doing all we can to help those we serve. It’s extraordinary that we have not experienced a confirmed case, yet, and I applaud our staff and clients in adhering to recommendations.”
The Salvation Army is the Dallas-Fort Worth region’s largest provider of homeless shelters, officials said. The agency provides beds for about 1,200 people per night in Tarrant, Dallas, Denton, Collin and Ellis counties and feeds about 10,000 people per week.
Shelter officials said the face mask mandate was in response to Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins’ emergency order amendment, which requires that all people in that county wear face masks in public places beginning Saturday. However, the Salvation Army is beating public officials to the punch in other places such as Tarrant County, where residents are encouraged but not required to wear face masks while visiting grocery stores and other essential businesses.
At the Salvation Army, masks must be worn in common areas such as day rooms, group rooms, hallways, computer labs and areas designated for physical exercise, organization officials said. The agency’s staff has been wearing masks in those areas for weeks, and now the residents and visitors will be required to wear them, too.
The agency also screens anyone who enters its facilities. Visitors’ temperatures are checked.
Also, residents who spend the night are asked to keep beds three to six feet apart, and to sleep head-to-toe, to prevent the spread of the virus.
Group sizes inside the shelter are being limited, to encourage social distancing.
“Our request for service continues to increase and we have no plans to turn anyone away. One out of ten North Texans in need that deal with poverty, homeless and addiction depend on The Salvation Army,” said Beckie Wach, executive director of Mabee Social Service Center in Fort Worth. “With the generous support of the public and our continued partnership with governmental entities, we remain steadfast in our mission of helping all North Texans in need – wherever and for however long it takes.”
This story was originally published April 17, 2020 at 12:09 PM.
