COVID-19 restrictions throwing a wrench into social assistance supports

Many people are lamenting not being able to go to a theatre or to a bar these days, but for some, what they’re losing through the public health restrictions is a lot more serious.

On a normal day, Jenna Hamilton would go into work and do community support, meet with the Ministry of Social Services for case planning, work on safety plans or programming, or facilitate visits between parents and their kids who are in ministry care.

But because of the public health restrictions on meetings and keeping people in their homes, much of that can’t happen anymore, and that has Hamilton worried for her clients.

Hamilton works for Thomas Circle of Care, which is a social assistance organization. She works with kids who are in care and their parents and, in many ways, helps them get their lives back on track.

However, many of the things they need, like Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous meetings, are no longer happening.

“I know that a lot of my clients really relied on those meetings,” Hamilton said. “Some of my clients were doing two meetings a day to ensure their sobriety. It’s also a friend base and I know a lot of that has been cut down, so we worry about people’s sobriety and being able to sustain it.”

She said her clients are dealing with the problem but have been able to keep up their sobriety.

Hamilton said she and her colleagues also can’t facilitate visits between parents and their kids or meet to work on their reunification plans anymore. She said it’s hard for them.

“I can only speak on my clients, but everyone was doing very, very well prior to this pandemic and I just worry that people will lose their way or lose their focus. So that’s why I want to be available as often as possible,” said Hamilton.

Hamilton said her clients are suffering and they’re sad, worried and alone.

“I mean, (it’s tough for) single moms at home that relied on seeing their kids three times a week and now they can’t,” Hamilton said. “I think that everybody’s a little bit — I think that the best word is ‘scared,’ because nobody knows how long, and nobody knows what it’s going to be like after.”

Hamilton said she’s still available to the people she works with and she tries to check in with them as much as possible.

“I think that in this time, everybody just needs to make sure that they check on their people, whether it’s your work people or your family or anything like that, because everybody just needs everybody,” she said. “And even though resources are shut down, we still want to be available.”

Hamilton and her clients will talk by text or phone and two days a week she goes out to see her clients in person.

“They stand on the doorstep and I stand by my car,” she said. “We check in with each other and give each other, like, virtual hugs across the lawn.”

Hamilton thinks it’s going to be a much different world after COVID-19, as a lot of places are going to have to re-evaluate how they do things.