Helping Edmontonians access housing during a pandemic

Working to house vulnerable populations during a pandemic

Essential housing workers continue their efforts to safeguard the well-being of Edmontonians experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic. This story is part of an ongoing series showcasing how these dedicated individuals are continuing to support our community’s most vulnerable on their journey towards a permanent home.

Every weekday morning, Shaun Hosegood wakes up, changes out of his pyjamas into work clothes, and makes his way to his makeshift office, a spare bedroom in his home. 

“I’m set up in front of a vinyl record player and speakers, but it works,” he says with a laugh. 

Shaun, a Housing Access Coordinator, is a member of the Coordinated Access team at Homeward Trust, which connects people experiencing homelessness through a network of participating agencies across the city to appropriate housing and related supports. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Shaun has been providing supports for vulnerable Edmontonians from his own home.

Once at his computer, Shaun signs in to let his team members know he’s available and checks voice messages left overnight from those in need of housing. Shaun estimates that Homeward Trust’s housing line receives 40 to 50 calls a day, which is typical even amid COVID-19. By the time we catch up with Shaun at 10:45 a.m., he has counted 22 calls.

Shaun admits that the transition to working from home has been relatively smooth, with little disturbance to his daily routine.

A typical shift for a housing access coordinator pre-COVID would involve responding to emails and calls from participants and service providers, which Shaun notes hasn’t changed. 

“I continue to engage with participants—updating their files, connecting them to other service providers and so on,” he says. “I’m still able to do the same work, but now I have the flexibility to work from home.”

But there is one difference. Before, Shaun would meet participants face-to-face at Homeward Trust’s housing supports office to help them get started. This has temporarily changed—in-person appointments have been reduced in accordance with public health recommendations to social distance. For participants who do not have access to a phone or email, they can receive in-person support at the Edmonton EXPO Centre, a facility that opened in response to COVID-19, with centralized services under one roof, for vulnerable Edmontonians

Shaun says it’s important to note that housing is still happening and vulnerable Edmontonians are still able to access housing support, even with all the changes to where services are delivered.  

Homeward Trust has also expanded its service offering to include Supported Referrals, a program that assists individuals who have some barriers to accessing housing on their own and prevents them from entering a state of homelessness for a long period of time. Supported referrals can take the form of one-time financial assistance to help individuals resolve their housing challenges and attain housing stability. In Edmonton, 13 agencies offer this one-time financial assistance for housing, and over 63 people have been successfully housed through the program so far this year. People who access the supported referral program are followed up with to make sure they are still doing well.

Shaun describes how he used the Supported Referral program for one caller, Mary*. Homeward Trust’s Supported Referral program is designed to help people who can get housing on their own overcome small hurdles getting in the way, sometimes with one-time financial assistance. Agencies that offer Supported Referrals (currently 13, and growing) commit to keeping regular contact with people for at least six months to make sure they are doing well.

Mary was living in her car with her cat after a compromised rooming situation left her without a roof for a few months. With one-time financial assistance through the Supported Referral program, Mary was able to pay the damage deposit and first month’s rent for a one-bedroom apartment. Staff at Homeward Trust will continue to check in with her monthly to make sure she is able to maintain her housing.

“Mary and her cat were in a really unsafe situation,” adds Shaun. “All she needed was a little bit of help, and she was able to get into housing on her own.”

For more information on housing and support, contact Coordinated Access.

*Name has been changed to protect the identity of the individual. 

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LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We recognize we are gathered, in collaboration and with joint purpose, on Treaty 6 territory. This territory is the home and gathering place for diverse Indigenous peoples. The Cree, Blackfoot, Dene, Iroquois, Anishinaabe/Saulteaux /Ojibwa, Nakota Sioux, Inuit, and Métis, among many others. We know the importance of the Treaty and our responsibility to these communities and that only in partnership can we create the social change necessary to end homelessness. It is vital we meaningfully engage and partner with Indigenous people and communities in this work while recognizing and addressing the conditions brought forth by colonialism. Displacement from traditional homelands, systemic racism, residential schools, the Sixties Scoop, and the ongoing overrepresentation of Indigenous people in child welfare, correctional systems, and homelessness are responsibilities we all share. We acknowledge ourselves as visitors living and working in this Territory.