Specialized Housing Braves the Storms

During the historic blizzard of January ’15, the Groundhog’s Day storm, and yet again during the February 9th storm, the roads were a mess. The Mayor urged everyone to stay home, if possible. People parked their cars, cuddled up with friends and family, and settled in for, sometimes, days at a time.

Not our Specialized Housing Colleagues. They spent their snow days with their ATI family, working hard and having fun with our Residents and each other.

First there was the prep work, ensuring each house had enough nonperishable food, flashlights, batteries, extra blankets, water, and toilet paper to get through the storm. That’s not all. They thought of everything. Three day supplies of medications were gathered. Vans were gassed up. And, cellphones were charged…just in case.

Then came staffing. Managers ensured that there was coverage by qualified Colleagues at all houses through all shifts throughout the duration of the storms. This meant that some Colleagues were not able to leave their assignment and go to their own homes, but needed to stay with their American Training families and attend to the needs of our Residents.

And speaking of our Residents….while having a snow day can be fun for one day, when the storms stretch out to two or three days, sometimes even four, people start to get cabin fever. And for our Residents who are used to a specific routine, any change in this routine can be upsetting. That’s where we kicked in the fun, providing meaningful activities and interactions to help pass this unexpected time at home.

The final leg was (and maybe will be again, depending on Mother Nature’s future gifts) the clean-up. Throughout the storms, our Colleagues kept the exits shoveled, the driveways cleared, and the WOW! Magic alive and well in every home.

Our Residents and Colleagues were delighted to have made the most of their “snow days”. All of that being said, it’s only late February, so we may be seeing more snow before Spring blooms. Leave your tips or suggestions for your favorite snow day activities below.

3 Responses to “Specialized Housing Braves the Storms”

1. Tom Connors says:

   February 28, 2015 at 1:18 pm

   The true Heroes are those who work day in and day out tirelessly to make every day a WOW! for each of our Residents. My Hat off to every Colleague who makes every one of our houses … HOMES!

   Reply
2. dawn elizabeth susssenberger says:

   November 4, 2015 at 11:02 am

   thanks

   Reply
3. Brown Girl says:

   April 1, 2024 at 5:21 pm

   This is really a great post

   Reply