May 2020: Information Sharing Edition
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In this edition:
- Canada Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB)
- Windsor Invests to Help Protect the Health of All Residents
- City of Windsor's Vulnerable Persons Registry
- Emergency Community Support Fund
- Extended Deadline for Cat Spay/Neuter Vouchers
- SOAHAC Opens COVID-19 Screening and Testing to Local FNMI Community
- Financial Relief Navigator (FRN)
- Ontario Making Prescription Drugs more Affordable during COVID-19
- Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) - Multilingual Resources
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Canada Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB)
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In an effort to increase affordability of rental housing, the
Canada Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB)
is a joint $1.46-billion federal-provincial housing allowance program providing
an income-tested, portable housing benefit (PHB) payment to low-income households
.
The City of Windsor is pleased to
announce
this new housing benefit option for qualified people and households
.
A monthly subsidy (COHB) will assist low-income households in their ability to pay housing costs
. Unlike other forms of housing assistance, the COHB is tied to the person or household, rather than the physical housing unit, allowing the benefit to move with the household.
The COHB is designed to help increase affordability of rental housing for eligible households that are on social housing waiting lists
. Approved applicants under this program must consent to be removed from social housing wait lists. The COHB aligns with goal one of the Windsor Essex 10 Year Housing and Homelessness Master Plan to “sustain and expand social and affordable housing supply” in Windsor Essex.
Phone:
(519) 254-1681 x 4005
COHB information sheet is available
here
.
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Windsor Protecting Health of All Residents
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Two long days of
COVID-19 testing for persons experiencing homelessness in Windsor
show efforts to care for those most vulnerable are paying off. For the 172 tests administered,
70% of the results have come back and all have been negative for the Coronavirus.
To protect all residents in Windsor and Essex County and help limit the spread of COVID-19,
the City has invested in
:
- Two Isolation and Recovery Centres (IRC) to provide individuals experiencing homelessness who present with symptoms the opportunity to self-isolate pending a negative test result or recovery from illness
- Establishing a medical team to provide supports to individuals who need to self isolate
On May 7 and 8, the WECHU partnered with the City of Windsor, the weCHC, leaders of the local emergency shelters, Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare and Essex Windsor EMS to provide health screening, medical assessment and testing of individuals experiencing homelessness. All partners are encouraged by the negative test results that have been returned to date.
Please visit the
City of Windsor Newsroom
to read the full
news release
.
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Vulnerable Persons Registry
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There is no age restriction on who can be registered, and homes with multiple vulnerable residents can register everyone at the same time.
Residents are also encouraged to sign up for the Windsor Alerts notification system.
During a major crisis, emergency or severe weather event, City of Windsor officials will send event updates, warnings and instructions directly to you on any communication device(s) you register for the service.
Sign up at
windsoralerts.ca
.
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Emergency Community Support Fund
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The ECSF was announced by the Government of Canada and is administered in collaboration with United Way/Centraide Canada, Community Foundations of Canada (CFC) and the Canadian Red Cross (CRC).
It will provide a much-needed boost to local organizations on the frontlines and will strengthen the capacity of organizations to meet the urgent needs of vulnerable individuals and families affected by COVID-19.
All community service organizations serving Windsor or Essex County that meet requirements are invited to apply.
Please note that all applications must meet the following minimum requirements:
- Address a pressing need caused by COVID-19
- Serve one or more vulnerable populations during COVID-19.
- Can be carried out in a short time frame (from date of signature to March 31, 2021) with a reasonable budget.
- Has not secured funds to cover the costs of the activities for which they have applied from another intermediary, another federal COVID-19 response program or a different source.
Applications will be accepted and reviewed in two rounds:
Round 1:
Applications Due: June 2, 2020
Decisions: June 26, 2020
Funding Start Date: July 1, 2020
Round 2:
Applications Due: July 1, 2020
Decisions: July 24, 2020
Funding Start Date: July 31, 2020
Two optional virtual Information Sessions will be co-hosted in partnership with the WindsorEssex Community Foundation on
Monday, May 25, 2020
:
Session One: 10:00 – 11:00 AM | Register
here
Session Two: 2:00 – 3:00 PM | Register
here
Please see the website for full details and to complete an application:
Funded by the Government of Canada
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Extended Deadline for Cat Spay/Neuter Vouchers
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The City of Windsor’s 2020 Spay/Neuter Voucher Program
saw the program’s 260 vouchers for feral and owned cats claimed in record time. These vouchers were set to expire on June 9, 2020. Due to a reduction in veterinary services offered as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of these vouchers were not able to be used. With restrictions lifting,
administration has approved an extended deadline and all vouchers must now be used by July 31, 2020.
The initial phase of recipients is still able to redeem the vouchers—valued at $75 each—at any participating veterinary clinic before the expiry date.
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SOAHAC Opens COVID-19 Testing
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If you think you have COVID-19
:
- Call SOAHAC at 519-916-1755 (8:30 am to 4:30 pm)
- Screening is done on the telephone with a health care provider at SOAHAC
- Based on the screening, you will receive an appointment for testing date and time
- All testing is completed at SOAHAC-Windsor, 1405 Tecumseh Road W.
SOAHAC will provide the information you need and help you determine the next steps for your care. Please call if you have any questions, or if you think you require testing for COVID-19.
SOAHAC Community Screening & Testing Services
1405 Tecumseh Road West, Windsor
By Appointment Only – call 519-289-0352
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Financial Relief Navigator
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Prosper Canada
is a national charity dedicated to expanding economic opportunity for Canadians living in poverty through program and policy innovation.
Prosper Canada developed the
Financial Relief Navigator (FRN)
, an online tool that helps vulnerable Canadians access critical emergency benefits and financial relief from governments, financial institutions, telecoms and internet providers
. While some other tools focus on only emergency benefits, the FRN acts as a one-stop portal where Canadians can access relief measures from all of these entities.
Some unique features of the FRN include:
- Simple, intuitive navigation with plain language descriptions of benefits and financial relief measures.
- Information on the impact of COVID-19 benefits on existing benefits that people may already be receiving (e.g. Social Assistance).
- Information on relief measures in place for major banks, credit unions, utilities and telephone/internet providers.
The Financial Relief Navigator will be also available in French in early June.
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Affordable Prescriptions in Ontario
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The
Ontario government
is making the cost of prescription drugs more affordable.
People using the Ontario Drug Benefit Program will not be required to pay any co-payment until July 1, 2020
for any prescription of 30+ days that is now being dispensed in installments
. In addition, existing and new Trillium Drug Program households can apply for an income reassessment to help reduce the financial burden for families during the outbreak.
If a Trillium Drug Program household has experienced an income change in 2019 or 2020 of 10% or more compared to their 2018 income, they can apply to have their deductible recalculated by completing and submitting the
Annual Deductible Re-Assessment Form
.
Eligible households who are not currently enrolled in the Trillium Drug Program and have high prescription costs can also complete and submit an
application and re-assessment form
by e-mail or fax.
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Multilingual CERB Resources
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The following information is being shared on behalf of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
La version française suit le texte anglais.
Some communities are asking to receive COVID-19 information about financial supports in their language, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada wants to help by sharing some resources with you, for distribution.
The Government of Canada launched the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. We have translated 10 questions and answers about CERB into
multiple languages
so that people can get the information they need, in the language they are most comfortable with.
In addition to this, the Public Health Agency of Canada also has a list of
resources
relating to COVID-19, many of which are available in multiple languages. Fact sheets, infographics and videos with key public health advice on COVID-19 are added and updated regularly.
We encourage you to share these resources with those who will benefit from the information.
Stay safe and healthy!
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Certaines collectivités demandent à recevoir des renseignements sur l’aide financière liée à la COVID-19 dans leur langue, et Immigration, Réfugiés et Citoyenneté Canada souhaite les aider en vous faisant part de certaines ressources que vous pourrez diffuser.
Le gouvernement du Canada a mis en place la Prestation canadienne d’urgence (PCU) en réponse à la pandémie de COVID-19. Nous avons traduit 10 questions et réponses sur la PCU dans
plusieurs langues
afin que les gens puissent obtenir les renseignements dont ils ont besoin dans la langue dans laquelle ils sont le plus à l’aise.
En outre, l’Agence de la santé publique du Canada dispose également d’une liste de
ressources
relatives à la COVID-19, dont bon nombre sont disponibles en plusieurs langues. Des fiches d’information, des documents infographiques et des vidéos contenant les principaux conseils de santé publique sur la COVID-19 sont ajoutés et mis à jour régulièrement.
Nous vous encourageons à transmettre ces ressources aux personnes à qui l’information pourrait être utile.
Prenez soin de vous!
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Municipal Social Investment Efforts
City of Windsor
Stephen Lynn
519-255-5200 ext. 5302
p2p@citywindsor.ca
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