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7 | The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,June 4,2020 theifp.ca Creating great smiles New Patients Welcome Family and Cosmetic Dentistry marketplace Dental Centre Georgetown Marketplace Mall 905-877-CARE (2273) • www.georgetowndental.com HOURS: Monday & Wednesday 8:00am - 8:00pm • Tuesday & Thursday 8:00am - 6:00pm • Saturday 8:00am - 3:00pm Proudly Serving Georgetown Since 1994. While we are currently only open for urgent eye care, we are getting prepared for a full re-opening of our offices as soon as health officials will allow.We wish to assure all our current and new patients that strong safety measures will be in place when we do open. Hope to see you soon and stay safe! Halton Region's emer- gency shelter program is being pushed to its limits by the coronavirus emer- gency, with hotel rooms increasingly being used to help vulnerable individu- als stay physically dis- tanced. According to a report from Halton Commission- er of Social and Communi- ty Services Alex Sarchuk, 60 households have been sheltered in hotels throughout Halton since mid-March. "With the formal clo- sure of public spaces, indi- viduals who were previ- ously living in unsafe housing environments, or reluctant to enter into for- mal shelter services, have required support from Halton Region to self-iso- late," explained Sarchuk. "Halton Region's shel- ter system has seen large increases in informal evictions related to rela- tionship breakdown, men- tal health crisis and from residents who do not have formal lease agreements." The 60 households are in addition to residents still temporarily shel- tered at the Salvation Ar- my Lighthouse in Oak- ville and through Halton's family emergency shelter program. The Lighthouse shelter capacity has been reduced from 34 beds to 20 to en- sure physical distancing, with the remaining indi- viduals being moved to hotel rooms with on-site supports. "Halton Region's shel- ter program is above ca- pacity," noted Sarchuk. "We have seen increased demand from some of our hardest to serve clients. The dependency on hotels for emergency shelter use continues to grow." Region staff estimates that by July, $432,000 will have been spent on emer- gency accommodations in hotels. The expense will be covered by one-time fund- ing Halton has received from the provincial and federal governments to support homelessness prevention and emergen- cy shelter programs dur- ing the COVID-19 out- break. The Province has dished out $2 million, with an additional $1.3 million from the Trudeau govern- ment. "Proactively protecting vulnerable Halton resi- dents experiencing home- lessness is an important element of managing the wider public health cri- sis," noted Sarchuk. Just over $1.1 million of this funding has been allo- cated so far in Halton. In addition to covering the hotel costs, the Region is supporting more than 16 community agencies working with vulnerable residents throughout Hal- ton -- organizations that Sarchuk says have seen a "significant increase" in requests for emergency food, personal protective equipment and transpor- tation. Some of the agencies are working to support those being sheltered in hotel rooms. For example, Food For Life has deliv- ered them 250 fresh food bags, while Wesley Urban Ministries has served them 647 hot meals. The individuals are also re- ceiving wellness checks from St. John's Ambu- lance three times a week. "Halton Region contin- ues to receive funding re- quests and is acting quick- ly to make targeted invest- ments with the senior gov- ernment funding received," said Sarchuk. As the world adjusts to the "new normal," the commissioner said con- gregate settings like shel- ters will be faced with unique challenges in terms of permitted capac- ity, etc. "We need to work with our partners to reimagine how those programs will be delivered moving for- ward," he said. "We see it (hotel accommodations) as an interim solution." For more information on Halton's emergency shelter and homelessness prevention programs, vis- it halton.ca. NEWS MORE HOMELESS SEEKING SUPPORTS DURING PANDEMIC Halton is using provincial and federal funds to help house vulnerable residents during the pandemic. Torstar file photo "Proactively protecting vulnerable Halton residents experiencing homelessness is an important element of managing the wider public health crisis." - Alex Sarchuk, Halton Commissioner of Social and Community Services MELANIE HENNESSEY mhennessey@ metroland.com