In March of 2020, we formed a Covid Response Team at Jesus People to develop a strategy for keeping the community and our neighbors safe. Throughout the pandemic, we have largely used CDC’s recommendations as a general framework for our in-house policy while factoring in city and state mandates as well as our own contextual realities as an intentional community. Like everyone else, we have continually reassessed our guidelines as the landscape changes around us.
Important to note:
- We have 165 members*
- 93% of our members are vaccinated
- 3% are under the age of 5 and ineligible for vaccination
- Since March of 2021, when most of us received the 2nd dose of the vaccine, we have had 29 positive cases reported in house. 27 of those cases occurred during the rise of the Omicron variant between last October to January
- Of these cases, zero vaccinated persons experienced extreme symptoms or required hospitalization
- We’ve recorded zero positive cases since January 15th of this year
Our current policy is as follows:
Only vaccinated persons are allowed as visitors in the community. The only exception is relatives of members who are under 5 years of age, and those children must stay masked in shared spaces.
Only vaccinated persons may apply to become a new member of the community. While we did not require current members to get the vaccination, we have since required that any new applicants provide proof of vaccination.
In our main building at 920 W. Wilson, masks are now optional. (we have brought back the full mask mandate when cases have begun to rise, and released it when cases have fallen.)
*Jesus People does not occupy the entire building. The top 3 floors, or one third of the building, is housing for about 90 tenants 55+ who live independently (New Friendly Towers). Those tenants are not permitted in our shared spaces, besides the front lobby and elevators. Their vaccination rate is somewhat lower than that of JP, and they may also receive some visitors who are not vaccinated. Since Friendly Towers is independent living, we are unable to track Covid statistics.
Site Map:
Jesus People USA Group Missions
920 W Wilson
Chicago. IL 60640
(331) 308-2757
JP Group Missions exists to provide affordable short term mission trips in Chicago. We emphasize education and immersion, allowing groups to dive into an impactful experience of intentional community and serving the poor.
