Covid-19 – supporting the vulnerable and self-isolating through the pandemic

26th March 2020 Editor

The Clear Building Management team shares some of the resources we have found to help support your community during this difficult time.

At Clear, we are proud of the many and diverse communities that we work with in our developments and we are committed to providing our property management support throughout the difficult weeks and months ahead. The pandemic has major implications for all of us, particularly vulnerable individuals and those who need to self-isolate for long periods, and we are have been focusing as a team on identifying much-needed support to those living in our communities.

Here are some of the resources we have found below – we would love to hear what you have found to help support your community through these difficult times.

Food & essential supplies

Not all residents have access to online shopping or relatives nearby who can ensure they have supplies to effectively self-isolate. Age UK offers a telephone shopping service with major supermarkets. The service allows a resident to call the charity, which will then place the order on their behalf for delivery.
The unprecedented demand for online shopping means many people are struggling to get a food delivery slot. Morrisons has come up with an interesting solution – and you don’t need a local store to benefit. Through its new Food Boxes service, Morrisons will send you a box of essentials for £35 delivered by next day Independent courier, which it claims would typically be enough for two adults for one week.
The big four Supermarkets (Tesco, Sainsburys, Morrisons and Asda) are all in heavy demand, but don’t forget that smaller retailers also offer a home delivery service, such as Iceland and Co-op, as well as many local stores including Best One and Spar. Amazon’s AmazonFresh service is also available in some areas.
Uber Eats are delivering from some Londis stores via its mobile app, and Beelivery is also offering delivery of a range of essentials.
Many foodbanks provide a vital lifeline for those in hardship, and the shortage of supplies has hit them particularly hard. If you are able to help local foodbanks at this time, you can find out what your local foodbank needs via the Give Food website.

Isolation

Being indoors and missing social interaction will undoubtedly by lonely. If you know of a resident or neighbour who may be self-isolating, perhaps pop a note under the door or offer to call them to check in and see if there is anything they need.
The Silverline charity also offers a “telephone friendship” service for the elderly, where they match volunteers with older people based on their interests, facilitate group calls, and help to connect people with local services.
In Your Area is a good resource for finding information on how you can support your community, as are local Facebook groups.

Income

We know this can also be a stressful time financially, particularly for those working in sectors that have felt the impact most strongly. Hospitality Action is a charity that provides help, advice and support to those working within hospitality in the UK.