Covid-19 Support Services
We established many ongoing COVID-19 support services such as programmes which provide advocacy and support for ethnic children and their families through Covid-19 awareness-raising and accessibility support.
This has been in the form of accessing driver licensing, navigating scanning and vaccine passport technologies, countering covid-19 misinformation, distributing informative multi-lingual resources, providing essential food and items to families in need, as well as providing services to support mental health and well-being during this time.
Our diverse and multi-lingual team of volunteers was trained and supported through stringent health and safety procedures to ensure we adhere to Ministry of Health guidelines.
Our objective was to make covid-19 safety as easy and accessible as possible for our service users.
This meant we also provided practical solutions such as helping people use the scanning app, access their vaccine passes, and provide transport and support for community members who were yet to be vaccinated or were due for boosters.
We support temporary visa holders including work visa and student visa, and tourists who are affected by Covid 19 lock Down situation.
We connect them with the employers and essential service providers, we navigate the system and provide various support for them and their families.
We also provide ongoing free of charge updated immigration advice for them.
Since the Covid 19 crisis we have registered with ‘Here to Help U’ and are providing 24/7 advocacy and support for all referrals. This is through translation/interpretation, advocacy and deploying additional volunteers to assist.
We are experiencing a significant increase in demand. Majority of the community do not speak English. and COVID 19 has created a lot of anxiety and misinformation in the community.
This has escalated the need to have proper interpreters and translators when accessing either critical social service OR the health care system
We are working directly with ethnic families and individuals in Hamilton.
We have adapted our service to meet the significant needs of refugees and migrants’ families during the current crisis. Many of our clients are isolated suffering hardship as a direct result of the pandemic.
Our translation services are particularly required to ensure Covid 19 messaging is reaching everyone and is being understood.
