Dear Nim,We’re reaching out to all our friends and supporters to provide some updates on how Sanctuary is planning to weather the storm of COVID-19. Please know that you and your loved ones are in our prayers and on our hearts during this time of fear and anxiety. We hope that you have been able to find ways to care well for yourself.
Sanctuary has developed an operational plan based on recommendations from Public Health and our nursing staff. This plan involves a tiered response that will escalate based on the level of community transmissions in Toronto. If you would like more detailed information about our safety plan, please feel free to reach out to Kathleen Smith, our Donor Relations Coordinator, atkathleens@sanctuarytoronto.ca.
The important thing to know is that Sanctuary plans to stay open and maintain most of our usual operations, with measures in place to limit the number of people in our space at a given time according to Public Health guidelines.
This is not a decision we have made lightly. We take public health and the safety of our vulnerable community members extremely seriously. We have chosen to remain open and maintain as many of our usual programs as possible because of the significant risks that the current social distancing measures pose to our community. At the best of times, our friends who are homeless or street-involved are isolated and lack support. Now, with Out of the Colds, drop-ins, resource centres, libraries, and community centres all closing, they are at greater risk than ever before. We believe, based on our years of experience and the advice of healthcare professionals, that the health consequences of such extreme isolation and lack of resources are likely to be as bad as or worse than the effects of COVID-19 for our community.
Early Christians developed a reputation for sticking around in communities during disease outbreaks to care for victims and their families. Likewise, we see it as our duty not to retreat, but to remain a refuge and a sanctuary for our friends who are so vulnerable during this crisis. |
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| Staying open is going to be hard. Because so many other resources have been suspended and community spaces closed, the folks who come through our doors are under extreme stress. Several of our staff members are currently under quarantine following travel outside of Canada, leaving us shorthanded.The enhanced cleaning, testing, and modified food preparation practices are going to take extra resources to implement. We also know that many of our supporters are going to be more limited in their ability to give, whether because they are losing work or because of the falling markets. |
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At a time when we need to be doing more than ever to support our community, we are going to be very strapped for resources. Please, if you are in a position to offer extra support, consider contributing to our critical work to protect the lives, health, and dignity of our friends who are living in poverty during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Other Ways to Help- Donate supplies (thermometers [especially tympanic/ear thermometers], disinfectant wipes [like Lysol wipes], hand-sanitizer, alcohol swabs, and new takeout containers are most needed).
- Donate non-perishable food items that don’t require a kitchen to prepare (crackers, granola bars etc.).
- Donate gift cards for grocery stores, Tim Horton’s or McDonald’s.
- Donate tents, blankets, and sleeping bags (having 1 or 2 people staying in a tent is much safer than having people stay in overcrowded shelters).
- Send clothing donations in sealed plastic bags (we will be keeping them sealed for 48 hours after receiving them).
- Keep our community in your prayers.
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We would also encourage you to find ways to show support for folks who are poor or who live without housing in your own neighbourhoods. Give extra money to people panhandling. Call your city councillor and tell them that we need to have more, safer shelter and respite options. Speak out in support of people who are staying in tents or encampments in your neighbourhood.
As our world faces this formidable challenge, we at Sanctuary are striving to remember that love casts out fear. We are doing our best to see this as a chance to show deep, steadfast love for our community by taking extraordinary steps to care for folks’ physical, mental, and spiritual health. We are so grateful for your partnership and support in these efforts.
With love, on behalf of all of us at Sanctuary, |
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| Alan Beattie, Executive Director |
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