Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion – COVID 19 Response

The Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion has decided to close its office effective March 16^th, 2020 until further notice due to the public health concerns about COVID-19. While the public health risk associated with COVID-19 is low for the general population in Canada we are concerned about the most vulnerable in our community;

– individuals aged 65 and over,

– individuals with comprised immune systems and

– individuals with underlying medical conditions.

The Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion sees anywhere from 10 to 20 residents a day at our office, in addition to running programs for youth and offering our office space to community groups for meetings. Our space is a communal space that brings people together, however, at this current moment of a pandemic we are adhering to the advice given by public health officials to adopt social distancing measures to minimize COVID-19 transmission in the community.

As such:

• All HCCI staff will be working from home and can be reached via email. If you have general inquiries you can email us at info@hcci.ca
• All HCCI programming has been postponed.
• Hamilton Anti-Racism Conference scheduled for March 28^th/29^th has been postponed
• Black Youth Mentorship Program (Group Session) has been postponed until further updates from the Ministry of Education and the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board.
• Black Youth Mentorship Program (One-to-one Session) will continue in limited capacity. All mentees and mentors are encouraged to connect via telephone, Skype, and other online platforms.
• Hamilton Civic Leadership Program has been postponed until social distancing measures are lifted by public health officials.
• Disability Justice Network of Ontario can be contacted at sarah@djno.ca
• Never Gonna Stop can be contacted at nevergonnastop.official@gmail.com
• Rafiki Hamilton can be contacted at limwamba@yahoo.com

We encourage all residents to look out for one another during these times of uncertainty. We are cognizant that in times such as this the most vulnerable are at risk. The Disability Justice Network of Ontario is creating a community of care by organizing the local community on the grassroots level to ensure vulnerable community members have access to food, housing, healthcare, and other necessities. IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO VOLUNTEER YOUR TIME OR RESOURCES, PLEASE FILL OUT THIS FORM. For questions and comments, please email care@djno.ca

Sincerely

Kojo Damptey

Interim Executive Director