Hello PWA Community, Premier Ford declared a state of emergency in Ontario in an effort to slow the spread of the Coronavirus. With this news, PWA will be moving into Stage 4 of its Preparedness Plan. During Stage 4, PWA will remain open, continuing to provide food, financial assistance, harm reduction and connections to other critical services within the community. If you need help, please reach out to us and we will do our best to assist you. During Stage 4, you can continue to:

• Receive food from the Essentials Market weekly, but instead of coming on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 2pm to 7pm, you can come at any time and pick up a pre-made food hamper (one per week)
• Pick up and drop off financial assistance receipts or cheques and harm reduction supplies
• Meet with our staff one-on-one, but with a 2 metre space between you and staff
• Consult with staff by phone and email as normal

 During Stage 4, PWA will:

• Be open from 12pm to 4pm, Monday to Friday
• Not be providing coffee or snacks, to minimize risk of contamination
• Not be offering hang-out space/time in our lounge except to those waiting to see a staff person or to pick up food, financial assistance, or harm reduction supplies
• Not be offering haircuts, massage, or any group activities, including Bike Rally related meetings
• Not be having our volunteers and peers on duty
• Be asking people who aren’t feeling well to stay home and call/email us for support

 We remain committed to supporting our community through this challenging time. As one of our Bike Rally leadership volunteers said recently, “We have been through the HIV epidemic, it is part of our past and our present that we pull together in challenging times – and we will keep doing so.” We will continue updating you whenever major changes to our office or services occur. Please don’t hesitate to call or email if you have any questions or concerns. All my very best to you,
Suzanne PaddockExecutive Director