<\/div>\n
The fundraising goal is symbolic of the fact that Blue Door supports more than 100 people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless,\u00a0resource development manager Rachael Sedman said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery change made to our\u00a0service\u00a0to ensure physical distancing and health is multiplied by a hundred,\u201d she said. \u201c$100,000 is our best estimate at the costs for the next few weeks, but the true need and cost may be much higher.\u201d<\/p>\n
There is a strong sense of concern and worry at Blue Door as COVID-19 developments are changing rapidly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile Blue Door is connecting daily with community partners and local governments to develop proactive precautions, we can\u2019t foresee the extent of this pandemic,\u201d Sedman said. \u201cAction urgently needs to be taken to protect some of the most vulnerable people in our towns. People who, sadly, at the best of times are often forgotten or unseen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Each new level of precaution and safety put in place comes with overwhelmingly high costs, she said.<\/p>\n
Braithwaite urges the community to donate now. He said there is no luxury of waiting. And fighting the spread of the coronavirus among the community\u2019s homeless community is not something he or the staff at Blue Door can do alone.<\/p>\n
\u201cNever have I been so worried for people who are homeless,\u201d he said. \u201cSleeping outside in the cold and wet spring will make anyone sick. Sleeping rough for several weeks or years will severely compromise your immune system.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blue Door staff are quickly adapting and working to make life-saving changes to keep its clients and staff safe and healthy during COVID-19. But they are calling out urgently for financial support.<\/p>\n
As part of the federal COVID-19 emergency aid announced this week, $157.5 million has been earmarked to support people experiencing homelessness through the government\u2019s homelessness strategy known as the Reaching Home initiative.<\/p>\n
The funding could be used for a range of needs such as purchasing beds and physical barriers for social distancing\u00a0and securing accommodation to reduce overcrowding in shelters.<\/p>\n
It is not yet known when or how much of that money will flow into York Region to support the work of agencies such as Blue Door, and others.<\/p>\n
The emergency funds from Ottawa will be handled through United Way Greater Toronto.<\/p>\n
This story will be updated as new information comes in.<\/p>\n
For more information on Blue Door or to access services, visit bluedoor.ca<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Cost of 3 square meals, snacks a day before COVID-19? $5.50; Now? It’s $20 Mar 28, 2020 8:00 AM\u00a0By:\u00a0Kim Champion Not only is the recent upending of the economy due to the COVID-19 pandemic\u00a0breaking the bank for some in Newmarket, but you can also add broken hearts to the list of upsets. As the leader […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2543,"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-2542","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t