{"id":2372,"date":"2020-03-29T13:41:48","date_gmt":"2020-03-29T17:41:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluedoor.ca\/?p=2372"},"modified":"2023-08-03T16:11:48","modified_gmt":"2023-08-03T20:11:48","slug":"york-region-homeless-have-a-new-place-to-go-during-coronavirus-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bluedoor.ca\/york-region-homeless-have-a-new-place-to-go-during-coronavirus-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"York Region homeless have a new place to go during coronavirus pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Emergency housing gets self-isolation shelter near Newmarket<\/h1>\n

Mar 29, 2020\u00a0by\u00a0Kim Zarzour\u00a0<\/i>\u00a0YorkRegion.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Homeless people in York Region who need to be self-isolated because of COVID-19 now have a place to go.<\/p>\n

Leeder Place, a family shelter in East Gwillimbury, is being retrofitted to provide 15 self-contained units during the novel coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is for people with nowhere else to go,\u201d said Cordelia Abankwa, the region\u2019s general manager of social services. \u201cPeople who are experiencing homelessness aren\u2019t always able to find a place to self-isolate. This allows us to protect the well homeless and give those who are in need of self-isolation a place to go safely, where they are supported.\u201d<\/p>\n

About 40 people who had been living at the family emergency shelter on Yonge Street were moved earlier this week to a local hotel, where they will be supported by Blue Door and the Region of York, she said.<\/p>\n

York Region Social Services and Public Health partnered with the community in helping to prevent and reduce the spread of COVID-19 among vulnerable populations, she said. Leeder Place was chosen for self-isolation because the units need to have their own bathrooms and most other emergency housing in the region have shared facilities.<\/p>\n

Contractors are working feverishly to ensure Leeder is ready by the end of the week, she said. Some retrofitting is required to ensure there is excellent air flow in every room, the shared kitchen swapped for individual food delivery, and a fridge in each room.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to make them as comfortable as possible while waiting for their tests results or recovering.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the same time, the region’s Public Health created\u00a0new interim guidance<\/a>\u00a0for those in emergency housing service settings to reduce the risk, including setting up a uniform approach to screening and ways to separate volunteers, staff and residents should the illness appear.<\/p>\n

Surveys show<\/a>\u00a0at least 300 people are without a home in York Region. Local agencies say the \u201crealistic\u201d number is likely five times that high and they are sounding the alarm: COVID-19 will have a devastating impact.<\/p>\n

There are currently no known cases in emergency housing facilities, but Abankwa said agencies want to be proactive and prepared for potential cases.<\/p>\n

The virus has already hit Toronto\u2019s homeless population, with\u00a0one person testing positive<\/a>\u00a0in the city\u2019s shelter system March 20.<\/p>\n

In the U.S., a Silicon Valley\u00a0homeless person reportedly died<\/a>\u00a0March 17.<\/p>\n

In York Region, drop-ins and communal programs have been cancelled or are being done differently to avoid gathering. There are no more communal meals \u2014 clients are given boxed meals to eat in their rooms or elsewhere, said Michael Braithwaite, CEO of Blue Door.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Volunteers \u2014 the backbone of many of these programs \u2014 have been asked to stay home and many community meal programs have been suspended as well.<\/div>\n

It has left those whose job it is to support the community\u2019s most vulnerable stretched thin and calling out for help themselves.<\/p>\n

The Canadian Mental Health Association York-South Simcoe is continuing services like the van outreach, adapting with physical distancing precautions and, where available for staff, providing personal protective equipment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe haven\u2019t stopped services; we\u2019re doing it differently,\u201d said CEO Rebecca Shields. \u201cThere are some real concerns among staff. They\u2019re working as long and as hard as they can and they don\u2019t want to get sick.\u201d<\/p>\n

Braithwaite said York Region agencies are changing shifts so fewer staff are at risk, but many facilities have reduced staffing.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve also increased cleaning staff, which means greater pressure on financial resources, he said.<\/p>\n

In the shelters, clients who noticed lack of volunteers and reduced staffing are stepping up, doing things like taking out the garbage themselves, Shields said, but they are worried.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re saying \u2018I live in a shelter, where am I going to go?\u2019 There\u2019s a lot of anxiety,\u201d she said. \u201cThey have health concerns, mental and physical concerns \u2026 They\u2019re scared.\u201d<\/p>\n

The province\u00a0announced March 23<\/a>\u00a0$200 million in funding to help municipalities and social service providers \u2014 such as shelters, food banks, emergency services, charities and nonprofit organizations \u2014 continue to deliver their critical services, hire additional staff, and find ways to promote social distancing and self-isolation to keep clients safe and healthy.<\/p>\n

Abankwa said there are now private offers of support\u00a0\u2014\u00a0those in the private sector opening their hearts to the most vulnerable in York Region. For example, the CAA is offering drivers to help get people to appointments, restaurants are offering meals, and the final steps are underway with United Way of Greater Toronto to fill gaps as a united community.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe understand we can\u2019t do this alone,\u201d she said. \u201cEvery emergency, and this one is no exception, eventually becomes a social services emergency. At the end of the day, people need social supports. It is an unprecedented situation we\u2019re facing, but we are so encouraged by the way everyone is rising to the challenge and we will emerge stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Emergency housing gets self-isolation shelter near Newmarket Mar 29, 2020\u00a0by\u00a0Kim Zarzour\u00a0\u00a0YorkRegion.com Homeless people in York Region who need to be self-isolated because of COVID-19 now have a place to go. Leeder Place, a family shelter in East Gwillimbury, is being retrofitted to provide 15 self-contained units during the novel coronavirus pandemic. \u201cThis is for people […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2374,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2372","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t