City Council allots relief funds to organizations

Council earmarks $150K for daybreak, $40K to crossroads Mission

The Yuma City Council on Wednesday allotted COVID-19 relief funds to two community organizations.

As part of the consent agenda, the council unanimously agreed to earmark $150,000 to the Catholic Community Services Yuma, which operates Daybreak, and $40,000 to the Crossroads Mission for its family shelter.

The funds come from the city’s second allocation of Community Development Block Grant funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which must be used to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the spread of COVID-19.

The Crossroads Mission will use the $40,000 to purchase furnishings for the family shelter. On March 12, 2020, a sewage backup from a severe rainstorm damaged Crossroads family shelter. The building damage was significant and all of the furnishings were discarded.

Unfortunately, a city staff report stated, the family shelter was taken out of service at the onset of the pandemic, causing about 100 women and family groups to be displaced and in circumstances that made them more vulnerable to virus spread.

Crossroads has now completed restoration of the building and seeks funding to replace the furnishings that were lost. “With its return to service, the family shelter can provide safe housing for the homeless in an environment with strict protocols to prevent virus spread,” staff noted.

The Catholic Community Services Yuma, which operates Daybreak Adult Day Health Care, will use the $150,000 to cover renovations and improvements that will allow the facility to safely serve more people.

Daybreak provides services for elderly and adults with disabilities in a day program with nursing services. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Arizona State Department of Health Services reduced the program capacity by 50%.

To increase the capacity of the facility and comply with social distancing recommendations, CCS wishes to enclose a side patio to provide climate-controlled indoor space for daily use. The increased square footage will accommodate additional participants. Funds will also be used to replace existing restroom fixtures with touchless fixtures to increase safety and infection control.

Mary McClendon, associate director of Catholic Community Services Yuma, thanked the council for the funding. She explained that Daybreak is Yuma County’s only state-licensed adult day care facility. She noted that what makes Daybreak different from other daycare facilities is that it is a medical model staffed with a registered nurse, certified nursing assistants and activities coordinators, much like assisted living facilities.

“The difference is that our clients get to stay at home,” McClendon said.

Daybreak offers clients a place where they can “finish (their) lives with as much dignity and independence as much as possible,” she said, adding that it does not replace family, but rather supports family.

The facility currently serves clients ages 47 to 98 with Alzheimer’s, dementia, natural aging or chronic illness that still live at home but whose caregivers either work or need a break for their own well-being.

The facility offers assistance with showering and clothing and serves breakfast, lunch and two snacks. Clients enjoy socialization and a variety of activities.

During the pandemic, CCS was able to sustain all services except Daybreak, which serves seniors, the most at-risk population who was told to stay at home, socially isolated. During the pandemic, the facility called clients everyday to check on them, although they were not paid for the service. McClendon said many clients would ask, “When can I come back?”

She thanked the city and the community for their continued support.

“It is a great facility,” Mayor Doug Nicholls said, noting that it feels like a home, not a facility.

After this action, the city still has $115,575 of the relief funds available for other critical projects that may arise in the future related to COVID-19.