How CHC has been supporting tenants
April 2, 2020
Calgary Housing Company, our partners at the City, and local social service agencies have come together in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Making sure CHC tenants are taken care of throughout the current situation remains a top priority. As such we have been working on a variety of different initiatives to support our operations and ensure tenants remain safe, healthy and happy.
Activity Kits for Kids
Calgary Neighbourhoods (CN) has developed an activity kit for children aged 6-12, to help keep them occupied while at home. The kit includes a booklet of easy to follow activities that parents and caregivers can facilitate with their children. The activity kit has enough suggested resources to keep kids busy for a month with only a few simple supplies such as dice, playing cards and yarn. Other activities use regular household items. Click the links to download the Activity Toolkit and Caregiver Resources.
A fun surprise for young Calgarians at home today as Activity Kits were delivered right to their homes. Thank-you to to The City of Calgary employees for supporting families and individuals during Covid19!
CHC Newsletter and Website Content
CHC staff have been busy collecting useful information about financial supports, community resources, health info and more, and are continually adding new content and resources to our website. Tenants are invited to sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on what is happening at Calgary Housing Company in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Maintaining CHC Operations
CHC staff have been working to ensure continuity of services. Our front counters are closed, but services are still being offered by email or over the phone. Maintenance requests are currently limited to critical and important repairs in units, and staff will be working with tenants to ensure the health and safety of everyone when working on repairs in occupied units. Tenants who have repair needs can still call our customer service line at 587-390-1200 or email chccustomerservice@calgary.ca.
CHC Resource Rooms and Partner Services
CHC Resource and Community Rooms were closed and all schedule events and activities have been cancelled until further notice. CHC Tenant Liaisons have been working with our resourcing partners and other local agencies to ensure supports are available to tenants throughout the coronavirus situation. Tenants have been provided with a number of resources, supports and information on our coronavirus resource site, and we are continually adding new information to support tenants.
Checking in with Clients
CHC and Calgary Neighbourhoods are working together to check on clients of Calgary Housing Company and Fair Entry programs, to see how they are doing and connect them to any supports they might need. CHC tenants who need assistance, support or referrals can call their Tenant Liaison.
Fresh Routes Mobile Food Market
CHC and Calgary Neighborhoods have been working together to connect tenants to a one-to-one food order and delivery system through Fresh Routes Mobile Food Market. Fresh Routes has been helping communities access health, fresh and affordable food for over a year, and in response to the situation have opened up a system for emergency assistance for any citizens who are in isolation and do not have someone to help deliver food. Tenants who are looking for food supports can contact their Tenant Liaison for a referral.
Internet Access for tenants
CHC has identified that some of our tenants do not have internet or the means to access free wifi services being offered by local providers. Shaw and Telus have opened their public wifi network to Calgarians free of charge, however this network works in public spaces only and not in residential areas. Calgary Neighbourhoods and Community Services are reaching out to internet providers to see if a solution can be achieved that can provide tenants with internet access in residential areas.
Local Connections with Experience Church
Community Support Workers from the City of Calgary and Tenant Liaisons from CHC have been working with Experience Church to help tenants with specific needs that can’t be fulfilled by current supports. The church has volunteers who will shop and deliver supplies to individuals or families in need. They also have access to food like fruits, vegetables, eggs and milk, provided by YYC Leftovers (the same organization that operates Fresh Routes Mobile Market). The church had been supporting CHC tenants with homework clubs, and youth groups in the past, but are now supporting this initiative with referrals from Tenant Liaisons or Calgary Neighbourhoods Community Social Workers across the city.
