Response to COVID-19
"We are doing everything we can to encourage folks to stay home, while doing everything we can to help people feel connected,"
— Openhouse Executive Director Karyn Skultety, Ph.D.
August 2020 COVID-19 Updates
Living with Uncertainty in COVID-19
Join us for a new group!
Thursdays, 4 – 5:30PM, September 10 – December 3
RSVP required for Zoom link or call-in number
We are currently facing many of the uncertainties we always have: from global warming to social inequity. Perhaps, in your own life as well change is front and center. Meanwhile, we are aging, having to face health challenges and the inevitability of impermanence. Now, we face these uncertainties with the addition of the constant presence and impact of COVID-19. Our group is about listening, conversing and offering support. We humans possess natural capacities in assisting one another in carrying on. With each other, we can get through these times. Group Facilitator, Den Reno, PhD is a licensed psychologist who has led grief groups at Openhouse for over 5 years.
This is a drop-in group and space is limited each week. Please contact Faire prior to joining.
TO REGISTER > Contact Faire at (415) 231-5883 or email
For questions about the group, contact Ariel at (415) 503-4180
Friendly Visitor Program during COVID-19
Opportunities to connect socially in person may have changed for now, however, friendships can be cultivated in other ways. We encourage folks to give us a call to learn more about being matched up with Friendly Callers of all ages for social calls. LGBTQ elders have lifetimes of experience, perspective and know-how especially during challenging times. This is a great opportunity to build a stronger community across generations. Friendly Callers are eager to call you, and one day soon meet you in person!
To learn more about the program, contact Carrie Schell, Friendly Visitor Program Supervisor at (415) 535- 1237 or email Carrie.
Wednesday, April 1, 2020
Dear Community Members, Supporters and Openhouse Friends-
I know that the past two weeks have been difficult for everyone as the city of San Francisco and Bay Area have transformed to “shelter in place” to try to stop the spread and outbreak of the CoronaVirus (COVID-19). We ask that you continue to take care of yourself and of our community by following the health order from San Francisco Department of Public Health and the Mayor. Stay at home as much possible and when you must leave, maintain at least 6 feet of social distancing from others. I know that this isn’t easy for any of us- including me! I have burst into tears from things as small as not knowing how to help my kids complete math worksheets (I’m a lousy homeschool teacher) to the large challenges that I know many seniors are facing- food insecurity, lack of safe housing and of course, overwhelming isolation from others.
As much as there are moments of fear and overwhelm, I have experienced incredible moments of inspiration in this time. I am in awe at the amazing work from our Openhouse staff to build a strong connection to our community. Over the past two weeks, Openhouse staff have reached out to connect with every LGBTQ senior we serve and to listen and understand the challenges they are facing. Over 1000 calls have been placed from our homes! We have a small but mighty-team who are going on-site each day to ensure operations are in place to support all the remote work from home. They are also the on-site to ensure the phone is answered by a live and friendly voice during our business hours. We have hard-working case management staff who are working closely to support their clients by phone and coordinating with the Mercy Housing team to provide additional support and services to the residents at 55 and 95 Laguna.
I’m also inspired by the response from the community and the creativity of our organization to get us ready to expand our work in April in two critical areas. First, we are ready to rapidly grow our volunteer support available for our community. We have launched a partnership with Mon Ami, a company specializing in coordinating companionship and assistance for seniors. Mon Ami has stepped forward to donate their time and technology to ensure we can quickly match volunteers and seniors from the LGBTQ+ community. Volunteers will support community members with check-in calls, grocery runs, and extra support. Openhouse staff will work to connect community members with this assistance and support volunteers every step of the way. Learn more about our partnership here:
Secondly, we have begun putting virtual programming in place. By the end of this week, our Openhouse support groups and many of our language classes will begin meeting on line or by phone. In the coming weeks, we plan to expand these offerings- both on our own and in partnership with our community and partner organizations. We know that technology is both a blessing and a barrier so we are thinking of how to overcome these hurdles and offer ways we can all connect with each other.
We will continue to call and connect with you, but please know that you can reach out and request help at any time. Call the Openhouse main number (415-296-8995) and we can connect you to a call with staff, coordinate volunteer support, refer you to other services/resources and share more with you about opportunities to join in on our virtual programming. If it is after hours, you can also leave a message requesting assistance and we will get back to you the next day!
We are all in this together.
In Community,
—Karyn Skultety, PhD
P.S. As you may know, we were forced to cancel Spring Fling, our largest fundraiser of the year. We are inviting all of you (and your friends!) to join us virtually for a special Openhouse Spring Into Action event to take place on Sunday April 5th at 12:00 noon. You will have a chance to learn about all of our amazing work over the past year and to hear more about how Openhouse has responded to COVID-19. It will also kick off a special fundraising campaign to support Openhouse in this time. The event will be live-streamed (and recorded for later viewing) on our Facebook page (Follow us today and check out the Spring Into Action event) or if you would prefer to attend by Zoom, reach out to Charles Renfroe for more information