COVID-19 task force to focus on seniors, shelters

Ottawa has struck a special task force ofservice providers and non-profits to look after the needs of some of the city's most vulnerable residents duringthe COVID-19 pandemic.

The task force will focus on providing food, shelter and transportation to seniors and the city's poor.

Agencies including the United Way, the Canadian Red Cross, the Ottawa Food Bank and Ottawa Community Housing will work closelywith the city, according to Ottawa's general manager of community and social services, Donna Gray.

In addition tothe province's freeze on evictions, the city will issue housing allowance cheques a week early to residents who are strapped for cash to buy essentials.

Starting Monday, anyone in the city's shelter system who needs to self-isolate can go to Routhier Community Centre on Guigues Avenue in Lowertown.

"Some of the most vulnerable people who could be susceptible to coronavirus are people who are living in shelters or living on the street," said Mayor Jim Watson.

"We don't want someone who's contracted the virus to go back to a shelter and then spread it because the shelters are filled to capacity. Monday we're opening at the community centrethat will allow us to bring people who have contracted the virus to this safe place will be fully staffed with medical professionals."

The city said it's also exploring options in hotels and post-secondary dorms for families who need to self-isolate.

All but three of Ottawa's 26 food banks are currently open,but more are expected to close in the coming weeks because of a lack of available volunteers.

The city said it may open its own facilities up for food distribution, and may consider mobile food banks.

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With the closure of The Good Companions centre, the cityis focusing on telephone-based programs to stay in touch with seniors.

Ottawa Public Health is one of the groups working to provide vulnerable community members with transportation to medical appointments, particularly for COVID-19 testing.

The city is not looking for volunteers right now to help with its pandemic response, Gray said. Instead, it's asking people to check on their friends and neighbours who may be lonely or in need of help.