How do you self-isolate when you don't have a home? Montreal shelters plead for help

While many Montrealers wait out the coronavirus pandemic at home, telecommuting and practising social distancing, staff at homeless shelters go into work every day to care for some of the city's most vulnerable people.

Scramblingto protect themselvesand the clientele they serve, they'reasking for more support from all levels of government.

• Trudeau unveils $82B COVID-19 emergency response package for Canadians, businesses

"If you don't have a home, you cannot socially isolate," saidHeather Johnston, executive director ofProjets autochtones du Qubec (PAQ).

Johnston said PAQisscreening clients at itsdoor, but that's not easy.She estimated on any given night, between 30 and 50 percent of people who come to the shelterhave a cough.

"So many [members] of our community have complex health issues chronic health issues," she said."I worry about how hard this virus is going to affect this community if it starts to spread here."

If you don't have a home, you cannot socially isolate.- Heather Johnston, Executive director of Projects autochtones du Qubec

As a prevention measure, PAQ has reduced the number of people it's housing at night. Untilthe city announces measures for opening extra facilities, Johnston said that means more people are sleeping outside or in public spaces.

She's one of several Montreal homeless advocates who say they need more resources, as well as more clear direction from governments on how to serve their clientele in the era of COVID-19.

"If I have a case in my shelter, what do I need to do? Do I need to shut down, or is there a cleaning procedure we need to do? Do we send staff to get tested?"

Shelters pool resources while awaiting more help

While they wait for more concrete measures and funding, shelters in the Montreal area have been working together to pool their resources and come up withcoping strategies.

Resilience Montreal, a day centre atCabot Square, ran out of hand sanitizer last week. Itasked the city and the general public for donations, but came up empty-handed.

"All our staff were running out to the store, looking for the hand sanitizer.... We even tried to get isopropyl alcohol to make our own that's sold out," said the centre's co-manager, Nakuset.

Ultimately, it wasJohnston's shelter that came tothe rescue with a few sparebottles.

Like other advocates, Nakuset's main fearis what wouldhappen to clients if any of theshelters have to close.

"What happens if our staff get sick? We need a back up," she said.

The density of the population of a shelter means that it's a crucible for the rapid propagation of the coronavirus.- Matthew Pearce, Old Brewery Mission CEO

Nakuset said she has asked the city if itcan spare some employees,if it should cometo that. For now,staff who feel they can work are coming in, she said, but she doesn't want to put anyone in danger.

Matthew Pearce, CEO of Montreal's Old Brewery Mission, shares those concerns.

"We have staff that are very worried, and some have resigned.Some are staying home. Some have families to care for.Some have compromised health issues ... so we have to replace those people," Pearce said.

He's hoping the provincial government can allocate some cleaning and security staff to shelters.

Pearce said he's also in talks with the province to finddesignated locations where people who are homeless could be isolated if they become infected with COVID-19.

"We're trying to look ahead at what's coming next week and the week after without really knowing what that's going to be."

While there are no known cases of coronavirusat the Old Brewery Mission, Pearce said they need to be prepared.

"The density of the population of a shelter means that it's a crucible for the rapid propagation of the coronavirus, should it ever get inside our walls. We've got to be able to move people out very quickly to an isolation location."

As part of an emergency response package, the federal government said Wednesdayit will double funds for a program tohelp communities address local needs for homeless people.

The City of Montreal said it's in constant contact with shelters and community organizationsand will be deploying the resources as necessary, based on the availabilityof its employees.