2021 is an important, transformative year for us. Here is just some of what lies ahead.
Growth
Plymouth has entered an exciting period of growth to address the need in our community. Thanks to an outpouring of community support for the PROOF Capital Campaign, we have the funds to build six new buildings, one of which has already opened. This year, our new building at 2nd and Mercer will complete construction and become home to 91 people who’ve formerly experienced homelessness. In addition, we will break ground on three more projects, with another already under construction at Madison and Boylston.
Growth of this magnitude requires careful planning and an increase in staffing. We see this as an opportunity to further strengthen our foundation as we prepare to serve an additional 600 residents a year. With the help of a consulting firm, we will plan an organizational restructure in 2021 to guarantee Plymouth’s success as we grow.
Health
COVID-19
As cases of COVID-19 have risen in King County, Plymouth staff have done an incredible job protecting residents and other staff from the spread of COVID-19. In 2021, we will carry on the services and protocols that have kept our community as safe from the pandemic as possible, including additional janitorial services, personal protective equipment, on-site meals for residents, plus premium pay and increased mental health support for frontline staff.
Whole Resident Health
After years on the streets, many of our residents live with complex medical challenges. In 2021, we are making important steps to care for the whole health of our residents. Building on the success of our on-site nursing program, we will explore further healthcare integrations and funding sources to create a more robust, sustained medical support system for residents.
In this work, behavioral health is a primary focus. The lack of publicly funded behavioral health resources and appropriate crisis interventions has worsened in recent years. This means that our residents living with behavioral health conditions may have trouble accessing the care they need. So, in 2021, Plymouth will partner with an external behavioral healthcare provider to better support residents. We will also continue to advocate alongside partner nonprofits for broader community solutions.
Safety
As you may know, we recently lost a Plymouth staff member in a tragic act of violence. An incident of this kind is unprecedented in our 40-year history. In the time since the tragedy, we have diligently focused on the safety and wellbeing of staff and residents.
We are currently conducting a thorough safety review of our physical spaces and organizational practices. In the process, we are working closely with partner organizations and Plymouth staff across all departments to strengthen safety protocol, while staying in line with our mission and values.
Evaluating and strengthening safety protocol has been, and will continue to be, an ongoing process. However, we have collectively identified many steps for immediate action, including bringing on temporary on-site security, making changes to the physical layouts of our buildings where possible, hiring a consultant to evaluate safety protocol across our portfolio, and more.
In our discussions with partners, we learned that we are not alone in seeing more unpredictable, and sometimes violent, behavior in our community during the COVID-19 pandemic. The stress of isolation and scarcity, interruptions to health care, and personal losses caused by COVID-19 have put undue strain on people in many different circumstances. We see our work on behavioral healthcare as a critical part of our safety work, both for our residents living with behavioral health conditions and the people in their lives.
Thank you for your continued support of Plymouth. In 2020, our community went above and beyond for us during one of the most challenging years in Plymouth’s history. Your compassion and generosity carried us through. And now, we have so much to look forward to together in 2021.