City-led task force offers much-needed support to Ottawa’s most vulnerable

[guest]

You’re no doubt aware of the few simple, clear rules that Ottawa Public Health has set out to help keep us all safe and healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic. For many of us, it’s easy enough to stay home as much as possible, keep at least two metres away from people outside our households and wash our hands with soap and water thoroughly and often. But there are many others whose living situations make it challenging to follow that guidance without additional support.

The City’s Human Needs Task Force has quickly brought together more than 45 community partners to make sure all residents have the support they need and can access the services they rely on.

Here are five ways the task force has helped so far.

1. Physical distancing

Ottawa’s emergency shelter system is crowded. Our shelters for men and women are at capacity and we need 100 to 150 additional beds to meet growing needs. Our family shelters are busy too, serving more than 500 families in spaces that have shared bathrooms and can have kitchens shared by up to 15 families. The task force has teamed up with partners in the community to find more facilities and ensure those in the shelter system have the space they need to practice physical distancing.

A few recent achievements:

• The City will soon open the Jim Durrell Recreation Centre, which will offer sleeping facilities, dining space, bathrooms and showers for up to 140 men, to help alleviate overcrowding.
• By working with hotels, colleges, universities and other residential housing organizations, the task force has secured temporary housing for 140 families, with 100 already moved in and another 40 moving soon.
• The task force has secured up to 50 hotel rooms for women and youth to reduce shelter overcrowding.

2. Self-isolation

Ottawa Public Health has instructed people to self-isolate if they have been diagnosed with COVID-19, are waiting for test results or have even mild symptoms. But for those experiencing homelessness, that’s not a straightforward ask. The task force has been busy identifying spaces for those needing to self-isolate.

A few recent achievements:

• In March, the task force opened the Routhier Community Centre, in partnership with Ottawa Inner City health and shelter providers, which continues to offer a 40-bed isolation and treatment centre for people who are homeless or in shelters.
• In April, we opened a 21-unit isolation centre for families at a University of Ottawa facility.
• A second 40-bed isolation centre at the Patro d’Ottawa recreation centre is being prepared and will open if needed to support Residential Services Homes and provincial Homes for Special Care clients.
• The Youth Services Bureau, in partnership with the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) has opened isolation facilities for those in emergency shelters aged 16 to 21.

3. Daytime respite

For those without access to showers and washrooms, washing hands regularly can be a significant challenge. For homeless and other at-risk populations, the task force has been focussed on making sure everyone has safe places to spend their days when they are not in the shelters.

A few recent achievements:

• The City opened McNabb Arena last week, providing free access to showers and washrooms during the day to those experiencing homelessness.
• Five portable washrooms have been installed in the downtown core to address immediate needs and the task force is sourcing and finding convenient locations for more portable toilets and showers.
• The task force is working with day programs and community health and resource centres to re-open services while also respecting physical distancing guidelines, including free temporary washroom access now available at the Vanier Community Service Centre.

4. Food security

With the large number of people temporarily out of work due to COVID-19-related closures, and others like seniors required to stay home, there has been a significant increase in demand on food banks and other food resources and community supports. The task force has been working with multiple community partners to pull those resources together in one place to make it easier for people to meet their daily food needs.

A few recent achievements:

• The task force has created and distributed food resource fact sheets to provide valuable information about the food pick-up and delivery options available in each community.
• The fact sheets are being translated and should soon be available in six other languages, aside from English and French.
• The Ottawa Food Bank has distributed more than $550,000 in grocery store gift cards for food banks to distribute to clients.
• As of mid-April, the Ottawa Food Bank is moving to supply food banks with four weeks of provincially funded food hampers before it returns to providing its regular supply of food in May. Those hampers include flyers with information in eight languages about who to call for vital services.

5. Outreach to isolated seniors and rural residents

The task force has also made it a priority to reach out to our most vulnerable residents, especially seniors across Ottawa and rural residents. The initial focus has helped reduce social isolation among these groups.

A few recent achievements:

• Ottawa Community Housing has called the 1,451 residents on their emergency call list and prioritized calls to the most vulnerable of their 6,300 seniors. The Canadian Red Cross has followed up with in-person visits and has now connected with almost all those who couldn’t be reached by phone initially.
• The Ottawa Food Bank has equipped Canadian Red Cross volunteer teams with hampers of non-perishable food items they can share with residents in need during in-person visits.
• The task force started outreach to rural residents, mailing a postcard with information about ward-specific supports and services for rural and isolated seniors in West-Carleton, Cumberland, Osgoode and Rideau-Goulbourn.
• At the end of April, the task force will work on plans to address the needs of more isolated and vulnerable residents in our broader communities, building on work done with Ottawa Public Health, for instance, to distribute flyers to seniors about protecting mental health.

For more information on City programs and services, visit ottawa.ca or call 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401). You can also connect with us through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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