Find has been closely monitoring the Government and World Health Organization information and working with community, Homeward Trust, Alberta Health Services and the City of Edmonton to best plan for the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Because information is ever changing and constantly being updated, we have been examining the impact this will have on our clients, our staff and our customers. 

Through all our deliberations, one thing was apparent to us: providing furniture to people moving out of homelessness continues to be a top priority. 

COVID-19 poses increased risk for those experiencing homelessness due to barriers in accessing healthcare or basic needs—self-isolation and self-care are almost impossible without a home. 

With that, we have evaluated risk involved with having our clients and housing workers joining us onsite daily and have made the decision to do "blind picks" for the immediate future. For a blind pick, our housing team is onsite to pick furniture items for our clients based on their needs. We will continue to furnish 7-10 homes a day and our trucking team will continue to deliver these items to our clients. 

This decision was based on the urgent need to house individuals and families experiencing homelessness through this pandemic. The more people we can house, the less chance the virus has to spread throughout the homeless community. 

At this time, we have decided that effective immediately, retail operations for the Find Boutique on Jasper and Find Retail + Donation Centre will be suspended until further notice. 

Donations are still accepted at the Find Retail + Donation Centre (5120 122 Street) Monday through Friday from 9am-5pm and Saturday 10am-5pm at the back door of the facility. We will be closed Sundays. 

Our team will also continue to pick up furniture donations in the community with a few heightened safety restrictions. To schedule a free pick up, please contact our team at 780 988 1717 or use our handy dandy online form here.

Items will continue to be processed onsite at our Find Retail + Donation Centre and used for housing first. Although we have always had heightened cleaning and sanitation processes due to the nature of the items we work with, we have been committed to enhancing these processes even more to create a safer environment for our staff, clients and customers.

What are we doing?

• We're constantly trying to source out soap, paper towels, hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, masks and gloves for our staff. 
• Increase sanitizing stations around the facility.
• Increased daily cleaning and disinfection of common areas and surfaces. Including: door knobs, light switches, staff rooms, desktops, washrooms and other high touch surfaces.
• Increased cleaning and disinfection of donated items.
• Wearing gloves and masks.
• Increased hand hygiene - washing regularly. 
• Practicing social distancing where possible. Keeping 1-2 meters between work stations.
• Some staff have voluntarily placed themselves in self isolation.
• Cancelled staff meetings and group events.
• Encouraging staff to get tested for COVID-19.

We are taking every precaution to maintain a safe environment for all. 

What kind of changes can you expect? 

• Both Find Retail South and Find Boutique on Jasper will have suspended retail operations until further notice.
• Our trucking crew will no longer be able to enter people's homes. All pick ups must be made at the front door or through the garage. 
• When donating at the Find Retail + Donation Centre, we ask that you let our crew empty your vehicle for you, or that you place your items on the tables in the back for us to pick up. 
• Our dispatch crew will be asking all donors if they are currently self quarantining for COVID-19. If so, we will not be able to pick up items at this time.
• All customer deliveries will be dropped off at the customer's front door.
• Donation hours are Monday-Friday from 9am-5pm and Saturday from 10am-5pm. We will not be accepting donations on Sundays or holidays. Please do not leave donations outside as we will not be able to use them. 
• More items on the online store. Check back regularly. 

What can you do to help?

• Continue to schedule furniture pick ups for housing first items. This includes dining tables and chairs, dressers, couches, tv stands, shelving, pots and pans, dishware, chairs, etc. 
• Donate money, hand sanitizer, masks and gloves to local shelters. 
• Donate to the local Food Bank.
• Spring clean! Get those donations ready for the amazing community organizations who need them. We will continue to accept at Find Retail + Donation Centre Monday through Friday from 9am-5pm and Saturday from 10am-5pm.
• Practice social distancing.
• Self-isolate to prevent the spread and flatten the curve. 
• Take care of your neighbors - especially those with compromised immune systems and the elderly. 
• Thank the amazing people on the front lines, shelter workers, housing workers, health care workers, customer service representatives and all the selfless people working every day to help as many people as possible. They are heroes. 
• Shop online.
• Be kind. 

Thank you for your constant support. We will continue to update as information comes in on social media and our website. 

*If you are curious what our friends at Homeward Trust are doing during this time, please see their update here.