By As July began, so began a new wave of covid -19 cases in Hamilton County, where we live. We had all hoped the worst was behind us. Things started reopening. People were noticeably more pleasant to be around. But sadly, this more open way of life was short lived! Life at Lydia’s House had been getting “normal” again as well. We once again had all four rooms open and filled. But with the rapidly spreading cases in Hamilton County we looked to our new pandemic guidelines and determined we needed to take a step back. With rising numbers, our county
(Kind of) Accompanying a birth in a pandemic
By Bethany Kurtz, Lydia’s House live in volunteer Before the pandemic started I was honored to take a doula class. Little did I know what form that would take in a contagious outbreak. In the weeks prior to the birth, before we were too concerned about COVID, Tiana and I spent hours sitting with each other discussing the birth. We talked about how we could make the birth of her baby girl go as smoothly as possible. Of course, implicit in these plans is that her mom would be there as her partner, and I would be there as her
Pentecost and Community
After months of quarantine restrictions, we were finally able to attend our first “communal” gathering. We had planned a Pentecost service for the date of the liturgical celebration – but there were more pressing things that needed to be done! The protests downtown were in full swing and we all felt it necessary that we let our voices be heard. BlackLivesMatter! Our first celebration of Pentecost 2020 was a call to be heard and understood, to join brothers and sisters across boundaries to communicate one message: Black lives should be cherished and honored, Black children protected, Black families celebrated. We
A Birthday Parade
In this new world of social distancing and ‘stay at home orders,’ Lydia’s House has reassessed how we can live out and create community. Specifically, we’re discovering new ways to offer positive memories and celebration to our current and former guests. At Virginia Coffey Place, as a 6 year old tenant’s birthday grew closer, it became clear that his hoped for party could not happen. Though it took a bit of creativity, we worked together with J’s mother to create a memory that he won’t forget anytime soon – a birthday parade! We gathered together folks from the Lydia’s House
RULES AND REGULATIONS
On March 22, 2020, Ohio declared “shelter in place” because of COVID-19. All non-essential organizations and businesses closed. As a family shelter we are considered to be essential, but our way of being together demanded reflection and change as a result of the mandate for social distancing. On the day of the governor’s order we had all four rooms filled with 4 adult guests, 4 children and 2 live in volunteers, all sharing meals and bathrooms and common space. We put all of our practices and norms under scrutiny. After many sleepless nights and a lot of behind the scenes