Toronto charity helps health-care workers find temporary accommodation during COVID-19 crisis

As an emergency doctor, Glen Bandiera has over the years observed the everyday struggles health-care providers face in order to do their job.

And when that job is taking care of patients during a rapidly spreading crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic, those struggles can be overwhelming.

"The caregiver population is very stressed right now," said Bandiera, chief of emergency medicine at St. Michael's Hospital and associate dean of postgraduate medical education at the University of Toronto.

Being on the front line of the fight against COVID-19 means health-care providers are at high risk of contracting the virus, he said. Add in the social responsibility they feel to protect their loved ones and avoid passing on the virus to others, and you start getting a picture of how stressful it can be.

Temporary accommodation, especially in an increasingly unaffordable market like downtown Toronto, is one of the major issues these health-care workers worry about constantly.

That's why Bandiera and the medical community at U of T felt some sense of relief when they were recently approached by a local charity to help with finding alternative accommodation for health-care workers during this time of crisis.

StayWell, a Toronto-based charity, has since last year helped patients who travel to Toronto for medical treatments find affordable places to stay. The patients include those undergoing lung or heart transplants, women with pregnancy difficulties, and families whose loved ones are being treated at the Hospital for Sick Children, among others.

The charity partners with Sky View Suites to make hundreds of fully furnished units available for short-term rentals at a reduced price. With COVID-19 hitting all parts of the city and the province, the charity decided to expand this service to health-care providers.

"We were scrambling to find temporary housing for these people as many of them wouldn't want to go back to their families every day and put anyone at risk," said Bandiera, explaining there are about 3,600 fellows and residents in the medical department at U of T who are offering much-needed services at various locations in the city.

"It was a welcome opportunity to work with StayWell charity to get them accommodation during this time."

Sass Khazzam, director of StayWell, said any health-care worker in need of temporary accommodation during this time of crisis can sign up on the charity's website (www.staywell.charity) and specify the type of housing they need. Some of the people who sign up are capable of paying the full price of rent, while others pay a portion and receive assistance. The university, for example, steps in to offset the cost when necessary, according to Bandiera.

Showing kindness to medical professionals during a global health crisis seemed like "the right thing to do," said Khazzam.

"You can appreciate how expensive Toronto is, and these furnished rooms are considerably cheaper than staying in hotels," he said, noting his charity's role is mainly about facilitating the process.

"Patients and now health-care workers have critical needs and they are under tremendous amount of stress, and that is why we wanted to help."

Bandiera said the current crisis is familiar to him as he was on the front line during the SARS epidemic. He said he's "extremely inspired" by the work that doctors, nurses and other health-care providers are doing under immense pressure.

"I have a lot of confidence in how the medical community is handling this crisis, but it certainly creates a certain amount of anxiety," he said.

Gilbert Ngabo is a breaking news reporter based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @dugilbo