**Updated 09/02/2021**

Beaches Habitat is committed to providing a safe environment for our employees, AmeriCorps members, volunteers, subcontractors, and community partners. We have implemented changes on our construction site that we will continue to evaluate and update as our local situation changes.

Volunteer Opportunities

Phased Reopening

Beginning September 7th, we will welcome new, sporadic, and group volunteers. Please contact Sarah at (904) 595-5793 or volunteer@beacheshabitat.org for more information.

Scheduling Limits

Volunteer numbers will vary by day of the week, based on projects and leaders available. The schedule will be released one week at a time with up to 4 weeks of opportunities available.

Volunteer Registration

All volunteers are required to register for a volunteer shift. Individual volunteers can create an account in our volunteer calendar and select shifts based on availability.

Group Registration

Groups of up to 10 people will be welcome on the construction site on Thursday and Friday mornings from 8 am to 12 pm and every other Saturday from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm. Contact Sarah Jared at (904) 595-5793 or volunteer@beacheshabitat.org for more information.

Volunteer Release and Waiver of Liability

All volunteers are required to complete a release and waiver of liability prior to volunteering. A link will be included in confirmation/reminder emails. PDFs are also available upon request. Volunteer waivers must be updated annually.

Social Distancing

Vulnerable Populations

We recognize that many of our volunteers will be considered vulnerable due to their age or health. We strongly advise that all volunteers consider the risks to their personal health and safety before making a decision to volunteer.

Team Size

For the time being, we will have a maximum of 20 volunteers on site, with the day-to-day maximum based on the tasks and leadership available. To help maintain physical distancing in light of the continued thread of COVID-19, no more than 2 volunteers will be assigned to work in enclosed spaces and our team will assign tasks to allow at least 6′ between workers as much as possible.

Screening Procedures

Volunteer Check-in

Registered volunteers will receive a confirmation email the day before their scheduled shift with COVID-19 screening questions. Please review the screening questions prior to attending your volunteer shift!

By volunteering on the construction site, you are affirming that you have reviewed the questions and are complying with COVID-19 screening as described under the “COVID-19 Symptoms / Exposure” section below. Beaches Habitat will not ask registered volunteers to answer screening questions at the construction site.

Upon arrival, volunteers can locate a team member to sign in (paper/pen check-in).

COVID-19 Symptoms/Exposure

Volunteers are asked to self-screen prior to volunteering, using the information below.

Whether or not you are fully vaccinated*, please reschedule your volunteer opportunity if:

1. You have experienced any of the following symptoms in the past 48 hours:

2. You are isolating or quarantining because you tested positive for COVID-19 or are worried that you may be sick with COVID-19

If you are not fully vaccinated*, please reschedule your volunteer opportunity if:

1. You have been in close physical contact in the last 14 days with:

2. You are waiting on the results of a COVID-19 test (other than the results of a pre-travel or post-travel COVID-19 test).
3. You have traveled in the past 10 days.

*To be considered fully vaccinated, you must be ≥2 weeks following receipt of the second dose in a 2-dose series or ≥2 weeks following receipt of one dose of a single-dose vaccine.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Volunteers are encouraged to bring their own PPE if they have it, including hard hats. PPE will be available on-site for volunteers to use. It is recommended that volunteers disinfect shared PPE before using it.

Recommended PPE

It is highly recommended that staff members, AmeriCorps members, and volunteers wear*:

• Face coverings: When task-specific face PPE is not required, face coverings are recommended, except in specific situations when they are required (listed below under “Required PPE”). A face covering is a cloth, bandana, or another type of material the covers a person’s nose and mouth.
• Gloves: Task-appropriate gloves should be worn at all times while on-site. If gloves are not typically required for the task, then any type of glove is acceptable, including latex gloves.
• Eye protection:  Eye protection should be worn at all times while on-site

Required PPE

In addition to regular PPE, Beaches HFH will ask that all staff members, AmeriCorps members, and volunteers wear:

• Face Coverings: When task-specific face PPE is not required, face coverings are required for individuals who are not fully vaccinated, when entering an owner-occupied dwelling (e.g. – Senior Repair projects), and when more than 1 person is working in an enclosed, unventilated space.  A face covering is a cloth, bandana, or another type of material that covers a person’s nose and mouth.

*Gloves and eye protection are required for certain tasks. We recommend wearing them at all times as an additional precaution.

Water Bottles

Please plan to bring a reusable water bottle with you to the construction site. Beaches Habitat will provide water coolers on site for volunteers to refill personal water bottles. Please only refill from the water station using water bottles with a removable mouthpiece. Paper cups will be available.

Tools

Volunteers are encouraged to bring their own tools if they have them. Suggested tools include:

• Tool Belt
• Hammer
• Tape Measure
• Utility Knife
• Claw Nail Puller (Cat’s Paw)
• Speed Square
• Pencil

Disinfectant wipes will continue to be available to clean shared tools.

Please have patience

Our team is doing the best we can to bring volunteers back to the site in the safest way possible. We need the help and cooperation of everyone to make our efforts effective. Unfortunately, there will still be risks involved and we cannot promise a virus-free site.

If you have any questions, please send an email to volunteer@beacheshabitat.org.

Thank you, volunteers, for your continued support of Beaches Habitat!