Three new temporary washroom spaces in Winnipeg opened their doors Tuesday as part of a City of Winnipeg project to make it easier to find a bathroom for people experiencing homelessness. The project, called Places to Go, features three bathroom spaces at 473 Selkirk Ave., 345 Portage Ave. and 26 Osborne St. The locations were chosen in consultation with End Homelessness Winnipeg and other community stakeholders. “The Places to Go strategy is about profound human dignity and making sure that Winnipeg’s most vulnerable among us have access to basic human rights and necessities.

The project, launched earlier this month, is modelled after Canada’s refugee sponsorship program, which played a key role in welcoming Syrian refugees to the country five years ago. That included sponsoring refugees to help them with housing, employment and fostering friendships. Now Oshawa is taking a similar approach to tackling homelessness, mental health issues and addiction.

The City has been working with residents, businesses, agencies and government to develop a ‘Recover’ approach to improve urban wellness. Urban wellness includes economy vitality, social capacity, physical and mental health, built and natural environments. Bringing all kinds of people together, from businesses to residents to talk about their lived experiences, is not easy;If we can ensure the right systems are in place, we can promote and sustain conditions for people and neighbourhoods to thrive.

We use a social innovation framework which allows for constant learning, testing and adapting ideas, while considering their cumulative impact.  This isn’t about replacing existing strategies, programs or services. It’s about testing small solutions to improve urban wellness and finding ways to align and collaborate across different orders of government, agencies, local businesses and the community.

The Community Outreach Centre has moved its operations to a local school’s gymnasium for the purpose of enhancing its capacity to provide vulnerable residents with services such as counselling, shower access and laundry facilities under the new health regulations of social distancing.

Residents across Saskatoon and Regina have joined a Facebook group initiated to achieve community caremongering initiatives such as food security, challenges to local eviction regulation and partner with organizations that seek to help elderly, immunocompromised, and youth populations.

The City of Vancouver is organizing a multi-agency taskforce to generate engagement and harm reduction strategies as at-risk populations in the area face greater challenges during the crisis.

The recovery site for COVID-positive homeless people is a unique collaboration between many health partners, government, addiction recovery supports, community & neighbourhood groups and Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontier Canada providing expertise on project co-ordination and logistics. Among the primary goals of the recovery site is treating homeless patients with dignity in a clinical setting and ensuring they have a home to go to afterward — not a return to homelessness.

The Province of BC, in partnership with BC Housing and local municipalities, has worked to secure and operate 686 hotel and community centre accommodations in Vancouver and 324 hotel spaces in Victoria. This allows people from the encampments to safely physically distance, with access to important health, social and other supports.

The google map hopes to increase access to good food for all.

Stella’s Circle offers housing, counselling and employment services to people who face many barriers to fully participating in their community. One of the initiatives of the organization is through its social enterprise, the Hungry Heart Cafe, which employs Stella’s Circle participants, providing them with food services training and experience. Customers of the Cafe have been invited to add $2 to their bill which goes towards a program referred to as Meals Squared. Individual, nutritious meals are then made available at no cost for participants. During the Stella’s Circle response to the pandemic, 1000 meals have been distributed to date. Stella’s Circle is also putting tech in the hands of homeless clients, in an effort to bridge the digital divide

The new grants empowers local community organizations across Canada to ensure food makes its way to Canadians who need it most. The donation platform connects businesses with food surpluses to charities and non-profits in their own communities.

The conversion of the FirstOntario Centre Saturday included adding 50 carefully separated beds in the concourse of the hockey arena, dining tables on the de-iced rink surface and a medical clinic in the media lounge. Even the giant scoreboard that looms over the 17,383-seat area will be repurposed to show movies for residents who want to stay through the day

Libraries as community hubs and librarians as public servants… Almost right away, the library decided to redirect resources to help with this critical need. There are 100 library buildings in neighbourhoods all across the city.

Sheltersafe.ca allows you to quickly identify a shelter in a specific geographic area along with its 24 hour emergency phone number. The clickable map serves as a fast resource to connect women with the nearest shelter that can offer safety, hope and support.

The City of New Westminster provided the land for the project, which is being funded by the province through its Rapid Response to Homelessness Program and will house women who have or are at risk of experiencing homelessness. Construction will take place 7 days a week because of a critical shortage of construction workers due to COVID-19

Since the implementation of measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 transmission, there has been a dramatic decrease in access to food banks, with over a third closing in recent weeks. TPL’s efforts are in support of the City’s broader work on food security for Toronto’s vulnerable residents.

Calgary health officials determined that 100 units would be needed for homeless people who need a place to self-quarantine but don’t require hospitalization.The assisted self-isolation site can also be used by homeless people who have been in contact with someone who has tested positive or are experiencing an unrelated illness that makes them too sick to stay in a shelter. In addition to the medical staff, mental health and addiction support is on hand. Units have been retrofitted to safely house the new residents, CHF says.

Government providing 325 cellphones with 4-month service plans for free. The women eligible for the phones include those who are homeless, experiencing or fleeing violence, or in a precarious situation in regards to accessing resources

The city has created a new task force to help support “non-destination riders.” the city is working working with the Neighbourhood Empowerment Team – a partnership with the city, Edmonton police, Family Centre, the United Way and REACH – to work with these non-destination riders to make sure they can get the appropriate supports.

Includes information on hotels, motels, buildings acquired, shelters, overnight programs and funding to community partners to provide services

A new website for the disability community includes ever-developing resources from disability organizations across Canada, a list of organizations providing support during COVID-19, and a “Rant, Rave and Recommend” section for stories from the front lines.

The Coalition is collecting insights and guidance on best practices for people who use drugs and healthcare providers.

The City of Montreal is opening five outdoor day centres, expanding shelter room for men and women, and adding temporary public toilets.

The City is also working to ensure existing drop-in spots have the resources necessary to stay open. The new “backstop” self-isolation sites will only accept homeless residents who are referred by shelter officials, doctors or hospital authorities. That means the city will not publicly release the rec centre locations.

Facilitation is being provided by the Everyday Friends Social Network program, created by Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre (MNJCC) in Toronto. The program, which was provided in-person before a state of emergency was declared and non-essential businesses were closed, provides daily programs for young adults living with disabilities between the ages of 16 and 29.

Cyber-Seniors’ mission is to bridge the digital divide and connect generations through technology through resources that enable community organizations to provide tech-training for senior citizens through a youth volunteer model. Youth are trained to act as digital mentors, and senior citizens gain access to effective technology training and intergenerational communities that keep them socially connected and engaged.

Includes showers, washrooms, food banks, and drop-in centres for bagged, hot foods.

The Ending Violence Canada association website provides links by province for those who are in danger. Crisis supports and programs are developed in partnership with organizations across the country.

Time to Talk–Uncovering Youth Experiences, a Scarborough-based youth organization launched the Hearty Food Initiative, an effort to address food insecurity at the grassroots and community levels, and support the youngest members of the community and their families during the outbreak.

Bag Half Full was started by University of Alberta medical students and is expanding, most recently to UBC Victoria. Services include shopping and delivering groceries and household items for the elderly and people who are immunocompromised.