Key takeaways:
- Services may look distinct but are persisting.
- Paul Davis, executive director of the Gathering Place in St. John’s, states the rise in COVID-19 is restricting services in place to aid the most vulnerable residents.
The omicron hits hard to the vulnerable people:
Climbing COVID-19 cases and modifying rules have once again struck community service centres across Newfoundland and Labrador, causing them to adapt to support the region’s most vulnerable residents.
At the Gathering Place in St. John’s, which usually sees hundreds of individuals come in for shelter, a hot meal or appointments with caseworkers per day, it’s meant the shutdown of dine-in services, the suspension of programs, restricting the number of individuals who can join the space and restarting just vital services.
Read more: Labrador West notices record low temps as winter weather wallop the region
“As the COVID levels rise, the ripple effect gets larger and more complex and more challenging,” stated Gathering Place director Paul Davis. Source – cbc.ca
“It’s hard on the guests for us to have to limit the access.… But we comprehend that we have to provide a safe service, that doesn’t compromise or provide any risk to not only our guests but our volunteers and staff.” Davis stated things have been active at the Gathering Place through the new year, most lately serving about 3,000 meals each week. Source – cbc.ca
