Boise Rescue Mission keeping homeless shelter guests inside during stay at home order

BOISE — In order to slow the spread of COVID-19, Boise Rescue Mission is severely limiting guests at its Treasure Valley homeless shelters from leaving the building during the day while Gov. Brad Little’s stay-at-home order is in effect.

Normally, those staying at Boise Rescue Mission are required to leave the building in the morning and return at night unless they are there for meal service. The new rules require anyone who wishes to stay there to remain in the building unless they are going to the store for essential items. Anyone who leaves longer than the short amount of time needed to purchase essential items will not be able to return.

Rescue Mission CEO Bill Roscoe said these new rules were put in place following Little’s 21-day stay-at-home order Wednesday. Although those experiencing homelessness are exempt from the governor’s order, Roscoe said this will allow them the ability to comply and keep them from spreading COVID-19.

“We’re trying to do our best to make sure we don’t bring corona into the rescue mission, where we have a lot of very vulnerable people,” he said. “If any of our people have corona, they are not wandering the community all day spreading it around. We are trying to be responsible and keep everybody under our roof safe.”

Residents who wish to leave for the day are not permitted to return to stay at the shelter that night. Boise Rescue Mission typically caps how many days those experiencing homeless can stay at the shelter if they are not participating in the organization’s religious programming, but this has been suspended.

This policy is in place at the organization’s four shelters throughout the Treasure Valley, which keeps men in separate buildings than women and children. Roscoe said residents have been “very compliant,” but his whole system is only serving 300 residents total in all four shelters right now, which is below normal levels.

“Those who could go somewhere else, they went somewhere else,” he said. “This last week others have left for various reasons. Mostly they’re concerned about getting the virus from someone in the dorm or sleeping in the bed across from them. Frankly, if I had someplace else to be, I'd be there instead of in the dorm, if it were me.”

Those in need of services are still allowed to stay at Boise Rescue Mission, but all new guests are screened with questions about their health before they are allowed inside. Roscoe said there are five guests spread across the four shelters who have been tested for COVID-19, but their results have not come back yet. One guest at River of Life was tested 10 days ago and still does not have results.

“It’s very frustrating for him and for us,” Roscoe said.

Boise Rescue Mission placed an order for 100 masks earlier that recently arrived, and Roscoe encouraged anyone who has extra to donate them to the organization because they will soon run out if the shelter sees more cases of sick residents.

Meals are still being served to anyone in the community in need of food, but people from the outside are being served at different times than people living at the shelter so the room can be cleaned and proper social distance can be maintained.

A resident of Boise Rescue Mission’s River of Life men’s shelter in Boise said he is frustrated that he and others are stuck inside the shelter. He spoke about his experience from inside the shelter on the promise of anonymity.

“It’s maddening that outsiders can come in here, but we can’t leave,” he said.

Boise Rescue Mission’s policy of keeping all of its guests inside is the opposite approach from Interfaith Sanctuary, Boise’s other overnight shelter. Guests staying at Interfaith Sanctuary are required to leave the shelter building during the day, but can stay on the property for meals, limited activities and to access services at the nearby Corpus Christi Day Shelter.

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