A COVID-19 isolation site specifically for individuals experiencing homelessness is under development in Waterloo Region.
The quarantine and isolation site will be located at the former Kinsmen Childcare Centre in Cambridge. It will be a place for those experiencing homelessness to isolate if they have COVID.
Some residents of the area have taken to social media concerned with the site and its proximity to a school.
In partnership with Housing Services Waterloo Region and the Cambridge Shelter Corporation, preparations are underway for the isolation site in anticipation of an increase in COVID-19 cases.
Cambridge Memorial Hospital has donated 18 used beds to the Cambridge Shelter Corporation to be used at the site.
The Cambridge Shelter Corporation operates The Bridges, a facility that includes a year-round emergency shelter and drop-in centre.
“We are very grateful to our partners at Cambridge Memorial Hospital,” said Sharon Livingstone, board chair at Cambridge Shelter Corporation.
A letter was sent to residents in the neighbourhood informing them of the plan for the isolation site.
The letter states that it is critical that adequate, safe, and secured spaces are opened in the community.
“The facility will ensure that people experiencing homelessness have access to temporary accommodations that support their medical and basic needs while they are supported to find and transition to permanent housing. This dedicated isolation location is part of our community’s coordinated response to the Covid-19 pandemic and will help reduce the spread of Covid-19 in the community,” said the letter.
“Community members experiencing homelessness will be supported by shelter and medical staff, on-site at Kinsmen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Cambridge Shelter Corporation will oversee the operations of the isolation facility, in partnership with Public Health and local community health providers.”
Additionally, the letter states that individuals will be supported to develop a personal housing support plan that will help move them move forward on their journey towards permanent housing. Over the past 12 months, 430 people were supported to transition from an experience of homelessness into permanent housing. Of those, 153 were experiencing chronic homelessness.
According to Livingstone at the Cambridge Shelter Corporation, the site is still in development and not open yet.
A request to Housing Services at Waterloo Region for more details about the quarantine and isolation site, and when it will open, was not immediately answered.
There is speculation by residents in the area on social media about how long the site will be present in the area, when it will be open, and concern about the location of the site with respect to local schools.
Other residents support a coordinated response to the COVID-19 pandemic which will help reduce community spread.
“There are a lot of homeless people that have lost everything during the last two years. They do not do drugs, drink, or have mental problems. They just need a home,” said one Facebook user.
Another resident on Facebook said they are glad to see the region stepping up to help the most marginalized in our community to be safe.
