NUIFC Update // Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Hello Members, Partners, and Community Members,
While this is not an announcement that I was wanting or expecting to write, the National Urban Indian Family Coalition wanted to provide an update on the COVID-19 pandemic and how it’s impacting the urban Indian nonprofit sector. With rolling school district closures, event cancellations, major sports leagues being suspended, and the actions of local, state, and the federal government, it’s clear this disease requires a coordinated response, and the NUIFC will monitor ongoing changes nationally. We wanted to provide an update on what our partners are doing to deal with this challenge, how it will affect the NUIFC’s work, and provide a roundup of resources and advice we’ve seen. Finally, we also want to stress the importance of preparation and concern versus ignorance and panic, especially because the situation is changing by the day and varies widely based on where you are.
As Native people, we are resourceful and resilient, so are the organizations that serve the millions of urban Native communities all over the country. Due to the geographical variance of the virus, everyone has different best practices they need to follow. Some of our member centers are encouraging more employees to work from home, reviewing and expanding sick leave policies, enhancing cleaning in centers, and canceling events and programs when the situation calls for it. Most nonprofits that operate schools have had to shutter their operations, and many are keeping their doors open for critical social services.
While often under-resourced, many of our members and community-based nonprofits are working around the clock to ensure that our most vulnerable are receiving services. We want to give a special shout out and klecko klecko (thank you) to those organizations working with our homeless populations, providing food security, and our urban Indian health clinics, which are literally putting themselves at risk daily to provide care. We are monitoring the impact of the public response to the COVID-19 virus on our sector and will be providing updates on those impacts as the social distancing and closures continue.
The NUIFC primarily works electronically so our team can easily practice social distancing. Still, we have made plans in accordance with health official’s recommendations to move meetings later into the year when we have a better understanding of the situation. Our laser-focused work on Census 2020 will continue, even if we have to adapt and adjust, given the evolving circumstances. Moving forward, we are communicating with our Census coalitions and national partners to update our strategies and enhance our digital Census outreach plan. We are also working with the Census Bureau, which recently issued an informative press release answering questions around this topic. Rest assured, we are as committed to our mission to ensure that every Indian is counted in the upcoming Census.
Finally, we wanted to do our part to share information and resources that have come to our attention thus far. With the NUIFC being headquartered in Seattle, we’ve seen drastic public health measures being taken to help fight the spread of the virus. Our team has compiled the following resources and information regarding COVID-19 nationally and by state (Note: this is far from a comprehensive list). If you’d like to provide anything we’ve missed, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Communications and Projects Director, Rio Fernandes, and riof@nuifc.org. We hope to update it as we get more information.
Klecko Klecko (thank you), be safe out there, and wash your hands.