The Best of Our Humanity

CASS's COVID-19 RESPONSE

The Best of Our Humanity During this Age of Pandemic

A message from CASS CEO Lisa Glow

It has been more than 100 years since our world has experienced a pandemic of the magnitude of the Covid-19 virus.  As we rapidly adapt to this new reality, we are praying for our health care workers, our police, firefighters, and other front line workers, including those working with people experiencing homelessness.

CASS’ doors remain open and we plan to continue to stay open during the duration of the pandemic crisis.  Because many of our beds in our 470-bed adult shelter are very close together and CDC guidelines recommend a minimum six-foot distance, we have decreased the number of guests that we are able to house each night at this shelter, but we will still be able to shelter an average of 370 nightly.

Fortunately, some of the most vulnerable inside of the CASS adult shelter are being relocated to other locations on the Human Services Campus that are being set up as makeshift, smaller shelters, in semi-isolated locations. We are also working with Maricopa County Public Health, the City of Phoenix, and other partners in our community to find housing options for our most vulnerable populations.  When alternate housing can be located, that will free up beds at our main shelter for those who are currently without shelter.

Circle the City (the homeless medical provider on the Human Services Campus), and Community Bridges (the primary mental health provider on the Campus), are now helping screen all CASS clients for symptoms and a basic medical triage assessment.  This is allowing us to have a more directed and faster response system for clients who may be demonstrating symptoms.

CASS’ family shelter remains open at full capacity and will continue to accept new families when a current family is able to move to permanent housing.

We are very fortunate that our adult shelter is part of the Human Services Campus and grateful for their leadership, as well as the collaborative leadership of the many Campus partners who are coming together.

Daily, I am inspired as we embrace the chaos together, while staying focused on the tremendous job at hand.

I am also grateful that we have a strong team in place at CASS, a committed board of directors, and an outpouring of compassion from the community that will help us make it through this time.

Thank you for your support and prayers for our homeless neighbors, our staff and for our community.

Stay well.

Lisa Glow, JD
CASS CEO

As a reminder,  CASS is an Arizona Charitable Tax Credit Organization, a dollar-for-dollar tax credit up to $400 for individuals and $800 for couples filing jointly. Donations made up until April 15, 2020 can be applied to 2019 or 2020 state taxes. Donations by mail can be sent to —

ATTENTION: Donor Relations,
PO Box 18250
Phoenix, AZ 85005.

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