BARRHEAD-Barrhead and District Family Community Support Services (FCSS) may be ready to open its doors to the public come mid-June.
The not-for-profit society doors have been shut to the public since March 18 to help stem the advance of the coronavirus outbreak.
That is what executive director Shelly Dewsnap told County of Barrhead councillors during her quarterly report at their June 2 meeting. Since late March the meetings have been conducted remotely via Zoom.
Currently, FCSS is working on a reopening plan which includes the stockpiling personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks, gloves, the installation protective plastic guards and temperature checks for clients.
"Once we have all of that in place, we will be able to reopen," Dewsnap said, adding their target date is mid-June.
She added that even when FCSS does open its doors, it will be by appointment only.
Dewsnap said FCSS was fortunate to be able to continue to serve clients partially through changing many of its programs delivery models.
For instance, she said the food bank stopped taking food donations and clients were given appointed times to pick up their hampers which would be wheeled to them on a cart while they waited in their vehicles. The clients would then load their groceries while FCSS staff waited from a safe distance. The carts would then be disinfected.
Curiously the food bank, as of yet, has not experienced an increase in users.
"Food bank usage has decreased, not by a lot, but it has gone down," Dewsnap said. Between 60 and 70 families regularly use the food bank.
She added Barrhead is not alone, noting it is a trend many rural food banks are seeing.
"It is hard to analyse why, but we are guessing it is because of the variety of government [COVID] response programs, both federal and provincial, that are out there," Dewsnap said.
Other programs that continued with modification were Meals on Wheels, referral counselling, Thrive (family violence and relationship abuse prevention initiative) as well as its newest program Family Connections Centre. The last three providing services via videos and teleconferencing.
The Family Connections Centre a part of the province's Family Resource Networks (FRN). It replaces Parent Link Centres which the UCP government stopped funding in March.
Unlike Parent Link, that offered services related to early childhood development, FRNs cast a much broader net, providing services for children from infants right up to 17 years old.
On top of that, Dewsnap said, they do that for considerable less funding.
"Our primary focus is caregiver capacity, namely parent education, and our secondary goal is early childhood development - enhancing those parent/child interactive experiences," she said, adding there is also a youth component for children from seven to 12 year old. "It helps us sustain our overall youth program because it's funding decreases every two years and we have been struggling to keep it viable."
Unfortunately due to COVID-19, FCSS was forced to cease its youth drop-in activities, a grief group and most of its seniors' programs which Dewsnap said had a large in-person social component.
The program which impacted senior clients the most, she believes, is the suspending of Seniors Home Support-where a support worker would provide light housekeeping at a heavily subsidized rate.
Reeve Doug Drozd asked if the home support program could be resumed in Stage 2 or 3 of the province's relaunch strategy.
Dewsnap said she wasn't sure, as it isn't specifically mentioned, but the real issue was if FCSS would have enough PPEs.
"There is a fair bit of cost associated with PPEs ... and it is something we have to keep in mind," she said. "Whether we slowly open up the program, when we are allowed, to everyone or just to those with the highest need, I'm not sure."
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
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