Family
Services | Emergency After Hours
Emergency
After Hours Phone Line: 306.242.6833
This
position is contracted through the Ministry
of Social Services. We provide emergency services to clients
during the hours the Ministry of Social Services is closed.
A staff member is available from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. Monday
to Fridays, and 24 hours on weekends and statutory holidays.
We
receive requests for a variety of services. The most
common requests are for grocery hampers, diapers, formula
and taxis. There are some conditions prior to the clients
receiving our assistance.
First,
any assistance given is usually deducted off their social
services cheque. PTA and band funded clients are only assisted
in a domestic or medical crisis.
Secondly,
if meals or grocery hampers are requested, the client is expected
to have already accessed or attempted to access the free resources
available in the city i.e.: Friendship
Inn, Food Bank,
and their Social Worker. They are also referred to our free
soup kitchen and coffee house Fridays and Sunday evenings.
Transportation
is approved in the following situations-medical emergency,
domestic assault, and request through another agency such
as hospitals, Operational Help etc. We may, on occasion, approve
a taxi if the client is being housed overnight and has several
small children to transport.
Diapers
and formula are usually approved, unless the client has been
overusing the services or not making contact with SS. We may
not assist if they are band funded and in town visiting or
if they have just received money.
Prescriptions
are another fairly common request. We usually approve if medication
is for a child and it can’t wait until Social Services
opens. We do not approve addictive medications, or medications
with codeine. We only supply enough medication to last until
S.S. opens again.
We do
on occasion counsel clients. Normally the caller
simply needs to have someone listen to them. They are not really
requesting anything; they just want someone to listen. Occasionally,
however; the client is in need of more intense counseling, or
may be suicidal. We would then refer them to Mobile Crisis,
or ask if they would be willing to go to Royal University Hospital
to speak to a doctor. Any conversation is confidential unless
it concerns illegal activity or contains content that may be
a danger to themselves or others.
Emergency
housing is one of our most common requests. We often receive
requests from a hospital discharging patients, police, or
Mobile Crisis. As well, we receive many calls and walk-ins
needing housing. Often the client has been staying with friends
and relatives for several weeks and has overstayed their welcome.
We usually receive several calls at month end from clients
who have given notice to vacate and haven’t been able
to find affordable housing.
As
with any emergency agency, we receive many strange and unusual
requests. We try to assist when possible, refer what we can’t
deal with ourselves, and on occasion refuse if its something
we are unable to help with. Fortunately we are able to assist
in most situations.
Emergency
After Hours Phone Line: 306.242.6833
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