Crisis House receives $10K donation from CAPTRUST
When Sussex County Crisis Housing Services Executive Director Marie Morole opened the envelope to reveal a $10,000 donation from the CAPTRUST Community Foundation, she nearly cried.
Catherine Seeber, vice president and financial advisor, presented the check Dec. 1 after taking a tour of the remodeled Crisis House shelter in downtown Georgetown.
“This is unbelievable. I wish I could hug you. This is such a big help,” Morole said.
Seeber works in the Lewes CAPTRUST office, and she said the foundation donated $450,000 to 45 charities around the country on Giving Tuesday. Seeber, who moved to Lewes three years ago, said she chose Sussex County Crisis Housing for its program to meet the needs of homeless women over 55 years of age. “This population dramatically increased with the current economic conditions due to the loss of jobs or reduced work hours putting housing in jeopardy,” Seeber said. “This program has changed the lives of over 100 women in the past three years.”
The Giving Thanks campaign was made possible through donations from hundreds of CAPTRUST employees totaling an additional $4.8 million for the foundation's endowment.
Crisis House adapts to COVID-19
Morole said Crisis House, in operation for 36 years, has had to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic. While still providing temporary housing, meals and housing, and job search referrals, the number of homeless clients has been reduced to allow for more social distancing. No more than nine people are permitted to stay in the shelter.
Morole said most of the clients work shiftwork so that the maximum capacity is rarely reached.
Crisis Housing also operates transitional apartments in Georgetown for families who can live there up to two years. The shelter allows people to stay for up to 90 days. “Any longer than that and it becomes a way of life,” she said.
Because of the pandemic, Morole said, volunteers, on whom they have relied for years, are not permitted inside the building. She said that means more hours, or part-time staff and an increased budget.
All clients must be tested prior to being admitted into the program, and temperatures are taken each morning and evening. Masks must be worn in the shelter.
Morole said the shelter underwent extensive first-floor renovations, including a new kitchen, office and reception area, which has turned out to be fortuitous. The facility now has more room to spread people out and has a receptionist office behind a Plexiglas shield.
Free food baskets at Crisis House
Crisis House in Georgetown will reach out to the community and provide free food baskets to those in need from 10 a.m. to noon, Friday, Dec. 18. Motorists are asked to line up along Laurel Street before turning onto Railroad Avenue in front of the shelter.
