March 25 COVID-19 Update

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As the COVID-19 pandemic touches every aspect of our lives, we want you to know you’re not alone. The YWCA Central Massachusetts will continue to provide updates on our operations and share tips and resources that may be helpful as we navigate these challenging times together.

YWCA FACILITY CLOSED TO GENERAL PUBLIC AS OF MARCH 24, 2020

In following the directives of the Governor and to help ensure the safety and well-being of our YWCA Central Massachusetts community, the YWCA’s downtown Worcester facility is closed to the general public as of Tuesday, March 24. Our fitness center, childcare, and onsite programming operations have been suspended through April 6 or until further notice.

YWCA SERVICES AVAILABLE DURING THE COVID-19 CLOSURE

  • Domestic Violence Services and Transitional Housing Program
    We will continue to operate our domestic violence services, including our emergency shelter and transitional housing programs. For immediate assistance and support, individuals can call the 24-helpline at 508-755-9030 or visit wwwywcahelp.com to connect with a DV advocate.
  • Childcare for Essential Medical Personnel and First Responders
    The YWCA’s Worcester and Westborough early learning centers have joined with the Guild of St. Agnes, the Boys & Girls Club of Worcester, and Pakachoag Acres to be part of the state-approved network of emergency childcare services. This network of centers will provide childcare for essential medical personnel and first responders who are answering the call to serve during the pandemic in our community.

 

We are currently part of a referral system with the UMass system and the City of Worcester. We will provide further updates if that changes.

 

If you are an essential employee who needs emergency childcare and you are not affiliated with those institutions, please visit the Department of Early Care and Education’s link to complete required forms and arrange care: https://eeclead.force.com/apex/EEC_ChildCareEmergencyParents.

  • Virtual Health and Fitness
    While our fitness centers and early learning centers are temporarily closed, we are quickly adapting our health and wellness programs to virtual and/or remote models so that we can respond to the changing needs of our community. Check out our Seven Day Sweat videos on the YWCA’s Health & Fitness Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/YWCACMFitness/

    Lisa Mendez, our Fitness Coordinator is posting videos demonstrating exercises you can do at home that use your body weight to build strength and tone your muscles so you can stay healthy while staying home.

 

 

DONATIONS TO THE YWCA’s COVID-19 EMERGENCY FUND AND AMAZON WISHLIST

Our staff continues to maintain regular contact with our program participants to help connect the vulnerable families we serve with support and resources as needed. Please consider a donation to our emergency funds to help us continue to provide urgently needed services during the COVID-19 outbreak:

Your donations will help us obtain food and supplies for individuals and families with children in our emergency shelter, transitional housing program, and other programs. We understand that not everyone can donate. If you cannot donate, please share this information with your friends and family.

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

  • Employment or Unemployment BenefitsMASSHIRE & the Worcester Workforce Investment Board’s COVID-19 resources for employers, job seekers, & partners https://masshirecentral.com/covid19resources/

    The regularly updated site provides information on filing for unemployment as well as lists of openings for CRITICAL JOBS in our community during this time. If you’re in good health and not considered high risk for COVID-19, please make a difference by filling any of these critical jobs. In some cases, you can apply today and start tomorrow.

  • City of Worcester COVID-19 webpage: http://www.worcesterma.gov/coronavirus
  • Online U.S. Census https://my2020census.gov/According to Secretary of State William Galvin, “The COVID-19 pandemic shows us that now, more than ever, we need to make sure that we in Massachusetts get our fair share of the federal dollars that go to public health programs and hospitals.”
  • Jane Doe Inc. (The Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence) COVID-19 webpage: https://janedoe.org/covid19/ 

For continuing news and updates regarding the COVID-19 crisis, please visit our Facebook pages and website at https://ywcacm.org/covid-19-updates/.

https://www.facebook.com/YWCACM/

https://www.facebook.com/YWCACMFitness/

https://www.facebook.com/YWCAChildcare/