As local charities and shelters across Niagara look at ways to transform their operations and adapt to life in a pandemic, a new round of federal funding through the Emergency Community Support Fund is already making an impact to those who need it most.
Last month, The Niagara Community Foundation distributed over $900,000 to 36 different charitable organizations across the region to ensure services at places like food banks and shelter could continue uninterrupted, and help organizations make the necessary health and safety charges they need to.
One of those organizations is Gillian’s Place in St. Catharines, who received a grant of $26,000 to buy new beds that could be easily cleaned.
Tanja Loeb, executive director of Gillian’s Place said the previous beds at the shelter were difficult to clean given health and safety guidelines.
“If we don’t have the ability to wipe down and disinfect our mattresses, then the only thing we could do we were told with respect to the COVID virus is wait four days”
For organizations like Gillian’s Place provides services to women and children in need, waiting four days was not a realistic option and replacing the beds would come at a significant cost.
Loeb said she and her team quickly identified one of their most pressing needs way to replace their cloth mattress with something else that could more quickly and easily clean and disinfected for a faster turnaround.
“It was identified right away that we needed vinyl mattresses that we could clean properly and disinfect between our clients and help keep those spaces clean for women and children. We have 34 beds in our shelter, so it was a significant cost to replace all of our mattresses and beds, so we applied for the $26,000 and thanks to the Emergency Community Support Fund and the Niagara Community Foundation we were able to get it and replace them.”
According to Loeb, the conditions of the pandemic have meant the charities, shelters, and food banks across the region have had the difficult task of finding new ways to transform their operation, while still maintaining a level of service.
“Because of COVID we have had to really change a lot, and re engineer a lot of our space within our shelter. Sometimes it is about physical distancing, and sometimes it is more about disinfecting and sanitation.”
“Right away we had to look at our cleaning protocols and drastically enhance them. We hired extra staff to clean, we hired extra staff for our kitchen.”
Brian Rose, executive director of the Niagara Community Foundation said the challenges faced by organizations like Gillian’s Place are becoming more and more common for non-profits and charities in the region, something the $900,000 in funding hopes to help alleviate.
“This money was to support the charitable sector which is in desperate need right now to stay afloat because there is so much demand to support people in the community so organizations like Gillian’s Place that are shelters, plus food banks and anybody serving the community.”
“We were looking at how organizations were negatively impacted, how they serve the community, and how these funds would help bridge the gap between what they have been able to do or not do.”
In spending the month of July reviewing applications, the Niagara Community Foundation found that one of the biggest needs for local organization was in the purchasing of PPE or new health and safety equipment.
Rose said purchasing some of the bigger ticket items has become increasingly difficult for charities reliant on donations, when donations dry up during an economic recession.
“A lot of organizations are trying very hard to adapt to the current reality. A lot of organizations are looking for protective masks to pay for Plexiglas to serve their clients and protect their staff. So the charitable sector has had to come very nimble and flexible as they try to adjust to how they service clients and how they bring in money.”
For Loeb, the new beds mean her and other staff members at Gillian’s Place can respond with the urgency often needed in emergency and crisis situations, while still providing a safe and clean environment for women and children.
“For us it is really about serving women and children, so it is about the ability to be able to respond to women and children the moment they need us and not have down time in our bed space and to make sure that we are able to keep them safe by cleaning properly.”
- Bryan Levesque, Local Journalism Initiative, Grimsby Lincoln News
