Reopening the Rebuild Center Courtyard

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, St. Joseph’s Church has graciously shared the use of their parking lot to the Harry Tompson Center and our partner agencies at the Rebuild Center. The lot functions as an extension of our site, allowing guests to wait for and receive services in an open-air environment with ample space to facilitate social distancing. The lot has been a godsend that has enabled us to continue operating throughout these trying times; however, stationing guests on crates and buckets while they await service is not ideal, and we’ve looked forward to the day when we could reopen the Rebuild Center’s courtyard safely and responsibly. As the City of New Orleans prepares to enter Phase 3.2 of reopening, a subphase which allows community centers to resume operations at 50% capacity, the HTC plans to begin bringing guests back inside. 

Guests await HTC’s Sunrise Shower Service in the parking lot behind the Rebuild Center during COVID-19.

HTC feels that it is important to provide what little comfort we can afford to our guests while also taking measures to protect their health and safety. With colder weather approaching, we hope that access to the courtyard will provide refuge from some of winter’s harsher elements. Entry into the Center will continue to function at limited capacity and measures are in place that ensureadherence to the latest recommendations from the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the City of New Orleans to reduce the spread of the virus. HTC will continue administering temperature checks, requiring face coverings, sanitizing surfaces and shared spaces, and practicing social distancing within the space. The use of indoor offices will remain relegated to staff only, and meetings will continue to be held in private areas in outdoor corridors of the Center.

We are excited to take some small steps back towards normalcy; however, we remain vigilant and the health and well-being of our team and the individuals we serve are paramount. 

If you have a desire to join us, we are now accepting volunteers. For more information, please contact HTC Assistant Director, Eva Sohl, at esohl@harrytompsoncenter.org. We appreciate you keeping us in your thoughts and prayers as we move forward. Thank you for all that you do in support of the Harry Tompson Center.