Weld County, CO, June 11, 2021 – Connections for Independent Living is resuming limited in-person office hours beginning June 15. In-person assistance will be available Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Appointments for assistance are encouraged, but are not required.
Located near downtown Greeley, Connections offers services to persons with disabling conditions who live within a seven-county northeastern Colorado region. These services are provided at no cost, and include assistance in independent living, housing, transitions from group living homes, and technology. Connections also is Colorado’s leading nonprofit for American Sign Language interpreting for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. In May, a new remote video interpreting room was opened to provide additional services to customers.
Like many Greeley and Colorado businesses, the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 sent Connections team members to home offices. Transitioning to home service, Connections team members worked remotely the following 15 months, using telephone and video conferencing to continue to serve consumers.
“The Connections team has been working non-stop since the beginning of the pandemic to ensure the services and safety of those who we serve with disabilities was uninterrupted,” reported Rochelle Miller, Executive Director. “We advocated, and served, and now we get to once again provide the one element that was missing, in-person meetings.”
In October 2020, the Connections Cares program began, offering limited services in an outdoor setting on Fridays. Following a winter hiatus, the program began again in mid-March, and provided services through the end of May from inside the offices.
Connections is a 5-Star certified business by the City of Greeley, meaning safety for visitors and staff is a priority. For visitors who are not fully vaccinated, face masks are mandatory and enforced and six-foot distancing is required. All employees and visitors are screened for coronavirus symptoms upon arrival. Cleaning of high-touch surfaces within the offices is regularly undertaken, and ventilation has been improved.
For Connections team members, and individuals who use services from Connections, returning to the offices and meeting with clients is a part of returning to life following the pandemic. In-person peer support group meetings and other activities at the offices are anticipated to return within a few months.
Miller is looking forward to returning. She said, “Come see us at our Greeley offices, or you can still use one of the many expanded digital services we offer the northeastern Colorado community. We are bigger and better than ever, and now, once again, we are in our Greeley offices!”
Connections for Independent Living is a non-residential, participant-controlled nonprofit Independent Living Center that promotes independent living and the empowerment of all persons with disabilities. The organization is one of nine certified Independent Living Centers throughout Colorado and since 1986 has specifically served individuals in seven northeastern counties.
