St. John's 'COVID Hotel' sees spike in guests looking for a safe space

As COVID-19  began its dramatic rise in Newfoundland and Labrador with record setting case counts in December, a safe space many people in St. John's didn't even know about began seeing more visitors. 

It's what's been dubbed the 'COVID Hotel' and thanks to the Omicron outbreak among those without secure housing, it's been busy the past few weeks.

"It's getting a little bit more traction these days but it's been part of our broader pandemic response," End Homelessness in St. Johns' executive director Doug Pawson said.

Thanks to federal funding many communities across the country received, the group began securing hotel rooms throughout St. John's back in March of 2020. The aim was to provide a space for people who rely on the city's shelter system to be able to isolate safely. 

Pawson said the hotel rooms right now make up about 10 to 15 percent of the shelter beds in St. John's.

"In order to ensure you have consistency and continuity in supporting vulnerable folks you need to make sure that you have a process that is clear and consistent."

When someone at a shelter in St. John's is a suspected COVID case, Eastern Health is called in and they determine who gets one of the beds; which is about 10 hotel rooms at the moment. 

"We are looking at having 17 [hotel rooms] in place by the end of the week," Pawson said. "The intention there is to support folks as they are testing and isolating, then triaging and supporting them as they are transitioning back to a shelter."

Thanks in part to a recent outbreak among those who rely on shelters to survive, the 'COVID Hotel' seems to have captured people's attention – but there is much more going on. 

"We've invested the federal funds into food security, emergency food services, 211 through the United Way to make sure that folks had emergency service lines," Pawson said.

That also includes working with Eastern Health to start harm reduction teams and creating a few jobs to provide support to those in the hotel rooms.

The guests at the 'COVID Hotel' are well looked after. 

"They are able to access any medical support that they may need,"he said. "I think there is a bit of security and comfort in that, even if the idea of just staying in a hotel room for one to three or four days is not ideal for folks."

In the wake of 17 positive and presumptive positive cases at The Gathering Place in St. John's on Monday, Pawson praises the pandemic response in preventing something like this from happening sooner.