By Luis González
As snow begins to pile up in driveways across Ottawa, city council is looking to lend a hand to those who need it most.
The Snow-Go Assist program matches snow removal workers with seniors and disabled persons who require the service.
“Clearing snow, for seniors and the disabled, is virtually impossible and private contractors are expensive and sometimes disreputable,” says Barbara Lajeunesse, executive director of the Old Forge Community Centre.
The centre is one of the home-support agencies, that, in conjunction with the Senior Citizens Council of Ottawa-Carleton, will coordinate the three-year pilot program.
The city has set aside $60,000 per year to assist eligible citizens, who may receive a seasonal maximum of $250.
Approved citizens will be reimbursed for 50 per cent of the service cost.
Elizabeth Parcher, the Glebe Centre’s program facilitator, says that although most clients use private individuals, some use small contractors. But Lajeunesse explains that all workers must be police and reference-checked before being matched with clients.
Program applicants must be able to prove income of $25,000 or less using tax statements or proof of income supplements. However, the city has agreed that centres can use discretion.
“All community support agencies know their clients and can assess whether there is financial need or not. We will always err on the side of doing the best we can for the client,” says Lajeunesse.
According to Lajeunesse, attracting sufficient workers is one of the biggest problems the program is facing. “We are short of workers and have at least 25 clients who are not yet matched.” The agencies have posted several ads to attract workers and she hopes the problem will lessen in the coming weeks.
Yet most agree the pilot program has been a success. Lajeunesse says she has heard nothing but positive comments. “The community is always happy when the city supports a community initiative.”
Applications started arriving in early October and keep coming, says Key Freeman. “Several hundred telephone inquiry calls have been received to date. It is a bit early to assess the impact of the program, but the community has responded well,” says Freeman.