COVID-19 Response

From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Friendship Centres have continued to remain accessible to the public through modified programming and have enhanced their services by addressing needs that have arisen from the pandemic. Often described as the first point of contact for Indigenous people moving to urban centres, all Friendship Centres saw an increase in clients accessing their services.

As COVID-19 was a novel virus and little was known about it, the preliminary public health orders resulted in individuals being laid off or temporarily unable to go to work; children were kept home from school and parents scrambled to find childcare; a loss in income means families could not afford groceries or were at risk of becoming homeless.  

The majority of Friendship Centres remained open to the public as social service providers and took the utmost care to adhere to the Provincial public health orders and social distancing guidelines. Many programs and services were transitioned online or telephone services or were temporarily closed to in person gatherings or were reduced to a limited capacity.  

As vaccine pop up clinics were created across the province, 6 Friendship Centres provided their infrastructure and services for vaccine clinics with some prioritizing Indigenous people, children, and the homeless population. Some Friendship Centres care packages, medicine bundles, and some Friendship Centres provided support services, such as Elders and helpers within the Vaccine clinics and offered transportation to appointments.