Red Cross to lease space from CTK
In 2019 we completed the new Ministry Center and were able to consolidate the Youth Ministry and Religious Education offices to bring together all CTK staff into one building. Along with better communication and the ability to share resources, this consolidation freed up the old Youth ministry space to provide St. Vincent De Paul with larger and dedicated office space to provide their services. It also freed up the old Religious Education (RE) office at the north end of the parish hall.
The RE office has been left vacant and used as an ad hoc storage area for the past year and a half, in part due to Covid restrictions. Now that we are starting to open again, we have found a compatible tenant for this space, the American Red Cross. The Red Cross is a group that routinely makes a difference in lives and aligns with our mission statement to “Hear the Gospel and make a difference”.
While the Red Cross has different lines of service, it is only their disaster services group that will be working here. This group is looking to relocate to space that is more central to Contra Costa County. The Red Cross will be paying a small amount for rent and utilities to CTK to help offset their costs. From a facility standpoint other than clean up, the old RE office space meets the Red Cross needs. We expect that the Red Cross will occupy the space later this summer.
Most of the people working out of this office will be Red Cross Volunteers. Before the Red Cross accepts a volunteer, they mandate a background check and volunteers must sign a code of conduct. Most Red Cross programs and services are performed out in the community and not at the office. Much of what the Red Cross does now has become virtual and will continue to be virtual. Users of this space will include:
· The Administrative workforce group (2 to 3 people) will work at the office several hours a week. Among other tasks they will be interviewing new volunteers after they have signed up online and have completed a background check.
· The local response management team (up to 7 people) will work at the office if there is a large local disaster (such as an apartment building fire or wildfire).
· Small gatherings of volunteers for program planning purposes.
· The Disaster Action Team (DAT) will come to the office occasionally.
· The Disaster Program Manager (DPM) will work from the office at certain times.
