Dear Colleagues, 

Lately there has been a lot of discussion about how we take care of people in the community and how we have mobilized to meet basic needs – food, shelter, clothing, access to healthcare, etc. 

  • A new food app from the United Way has gone live and tracks how we are feeding people across Grey Bruce.  The app allows food banks and meal programs to enter data, download reports and create dashboards that visualize their impact and food insecurity trends in their communities. This was created in partnership with NPX and Bruce Power.
  • It also has a public dashboard for the community to access the data at  www.foodbrucegrey.com 
  • 9 out of 15 community meal programs have distributed 113,090 meals. Food banks have assisted 9,189 people. Volunteers with 22 organizations have logged in 13,402 hours.  

We know that food and shelter are points of engagement with people to also assess other needs and make referrals to other services.  

Our next meeting of the Poverty Task Force is Friday, December 18th, 10am-11:30am.  All members are invited and it is open to the public as well. 

MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTIONS SUPPORTS 

  • The second wave of the pandemic has intensified feelings of stress and anxiety, and increased despair, suicidal thoughts and hopelessness in Canadians. 40% of Canadians say their mental health has deteriorated since the pandemic began.   Read recent CMHA report at https://cmha.ca/documents/summary-of-findings   
  • The ongoing pandemic affects front line workers and volunteers. Take a look at the “Are you thriving or surviving?” infographic with your team. (Attached) Where are individuals at? Check for burnout for essential workers. 
  • On December 3rd, Public Health sent out an OPIOID ALERT. 
  • There have been at least 5 overdoses this week in Grey Bruce, 2 of them fatal.  In one instance, the use of Naloxone was unable to reverse the overdose. 
  • A new RAAM Clinic (Rapid Access Addiction Medicine) opened up on Saugeen First Nation on Dec 3rd. 
  • Contact the Public Health Unit to pick up Naloxone kits and access training.   
  • Overdose is a medical emergency. Call 911 or go to the Emergency Department. 
  • The Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act provides protection from simple possession charges when 911 is called for an overdose.
  • Public Health says the Overdose prevention line is a vital phone service for people that are using drugs alone. It is a service that allows users to call so that they can be safe while using alone.  Overdose Prevention Line: 1-888-853-8542 An operator will stay on the line with the user while the drug is used. In the event that the user becomes unresponsive, the Prevention Line operator will call 911 to make sure that help arrives 
  • For additional Addiction Services: 
    • ConnexOntario 1-866-531-2600 
    • Withdrawal Management/RAAM Clinic (Rapid Access Addiction Medicine = Clinic) 519-376-5666 
    • G&B House 519-376-9495 
    • Ontario Addiction Treatment Centre 519-371-0007 
    • CMHA Grey Bruce Mental Health and Addiction Services 519-371-3642 
    • Mental Health Crisis Line Grey Bruce 1-877-470-5200 
    • https://www.publichealthgreybruce.on.ca/Your-Health/Harm-Reduction

HOUSING SUPPORTS 

  • The Meals to Motel Program has delivered 5,185 meals at the end of November. In November alone, they served 911 meals. The shelter program is run by YMCA Housing, The Women’s Centre and M’Wikwedong Housing support. 
  • The Rental and Utility Relief Fund is being offered through the Social Services Relief Fund as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. If someone has suffered income reduction due to lost hours, or complete job loss as a result of the pandemic and are presently in rental or utility arrears please call Grey County office at 519-376-5744 or click on the link to review and complete an application.  Or Bruce County office at 519-396-3450 or click on this link. 
  • Grey County local non-profit housing is seeking Board members.  https://brucegrey.cioc.ca/volunteer/record/V-GRE0123
  • The Canadian Housing and Renewal Association’s Indigenous Caucus released the results of a nation-wide survey on perceptions of off-reserve Indigenous housing. The results reveal a majority of Canadians want the federal government to develop an urban, rural and northern Indigenous housing plan to address the significant housing disparities facing Indigenous peoples.  
  • 6 in 10 Canadians would support a national strategy to help improve housing for off-reserve Indigenous peoples. A key driver of support for the strategy is awareness that the housing situation for Indigenous peoples living off-reserve is worse than for non-Indigenous peoples. 
    • If the federal government were to introduce this kind of strategy, 70% of Canadians find it important that Indigenous peoples are involved in the implementation and oversight of the housing strategy. 

Stay well, Jill 

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