Coronavirus: latest updates

Hackney Giving has launched a fundraising appeal for a Coronavirus Response Fund. It will offer grants to the small, local organisations that care for our communities every day during the coronavirus crisis. Hackney Giving is a simple and coordinated way for individuals and businesses to support grassroots voluntary and community organisations in Hackney - especially at this time. The giving fund is run by Hackney CVS, a charitable organisation with over twenty years’ history of supporting the borough’s voluntary and community groups. Hackney Giving aims to offer grants of up to £3,000 to groups that are working with older people and vulnerable groups that will be disproportionately affected by the outbreak, homeless people and refugees, and residents with mental health needs as well as to organisations that are supporting residents - particularly those on low incomes - to access the supplies and necessities they need. Hackney Giving aims to raise £30,000 by the end of April. By choosing Hackney Giving, donors can be sure that their donations will be distributed fairly and diligently.     Find out more and make your donation. Press release and image courtesy of Hackney CVS

A message from the Mayor of Hackney, Philip Glanville Over the last few weeks, there has been an incredible outpouring of support from local residents, via local mutual aid groups, as well as our brilliant, established voluntary and community sector. Last weekend I leafleted with my local mutual aid group in De Beauvoir, and saw for myself the difference these grassroots efforts make in terms of connecting people and providing tangible support for those who may otherwise feel very isolated and alone. Across the borough they are making a huge difference, working often alongside local councillors to serve our community in new ways. We know that the impact of Coronavirus is going to be felt for a long time, and as a Council our priority is to help to coordinate local support in a robust, safe and sustainable way that complements our own services, to make sure that it reaches our most vulnerable residents.  The Council has been working with the local voluntary and community sector to coordinate this, and today I’m now pleased to be able to share details of how some of this will work. We have set up a web form for those looking to volunteer their skills or time to help local people via our volunteering hub: https://volunteering.hackney.gov.uk/. It’s really simple to do and I have already signed up. This page also has other resources for those involved in this effort. The form asks people about their capacity, experience and importantly if applicants are DBS (criminal records) checked, to enable us to allocate roles safely and appropriately, both via the Council and local, established organisations. Of course all volunteering efforts will be compliant with social distancing. We are also launching a helpline for those affected by Coronavirus, particularly those who are socially isolating and potentially cut off from help. The helpline number is 020 8356 3111. In the future, this will also link in to the wider offer of support the Government, NHS and local authorities will be putting in place for those being shielded.  Staff operating the helpline will take details of residents’ needs and will feed these back into statutory services and the volunteering hub to enable the Council and partners, including volunteers, to respond. If residents have immediate medical needs or concerns they should continue to call 111 - or in an emergency 999. Residents who wish to make a financial contribution can donate to Hackney Food Bank, which urgently needs donations. You can give money online to avoid unnecessary social contact: https://hackney.foodbank.org.uk  In time we will be launching a dedicated fund to support other organisations in the borough helping our community at this time.  I’d like to again thank everyone across Hackney who is pulling together to help their neighbours, socially distance and support the NHS. The community spirit on display continues to inspire all of us at the Council, where we remain focused on delivering the key services we all rely on. For more information on the Council's response to Coronavirus vist our website.

The last week has been fast moving and unlike anything any of us have experienced before. Many of us are feeling anxious and concerned about the coming weeks and months ahead, and I wanted to write to you to let you know about our plans to support our community and what we’re doing as a Council to help slow down the spread of Coronavirus. As ever, Hackney’s community spirit has been out in force. I’ve been blown away by the offers of help, support and neighbourliness I’ve seen on display. At the weekend I leafleted for my own ward mutual aid group and spoke to residents, hearing how glad they were to be connected into a network of active neighbours and citizens. We’re busy working with local voluntary and community groups to get together a really robust and effective way to ensure we can get support to those who need it most. This will include the food and other deliveries the Government confirmed at the weekend.  Council officers are also working with the Government around the package of support announced for local businesses, and we’re finalising a further hardship fund to help residents being impacted financially. We will continue to update you on these really important pieces of work, as well information about service changes.  Local services Following the announcement by the Prime Minister last night, Council buildings are now closed to the public. This means that all face-to-face appointments are being postponed or carried out over the phone.  We will continue to deliver essential public services, and are looking at how we can redeploy staff to support our frontline teams. We have been only able to do this because of hard working staff who are keeping our schools open for key workers, maintaining services and often taking on new roles to support the community. I thank all of them and other key workers who ensure we are safe and have access to food and other essentials. We will continue to update residents about service changes via our website, this newsletter and by phone where necessary. Our contact centre remains open. If you have a question about a specific essential service, please call 020 8356 3000. Parking exemptions We are providing parking exemptions for key workers on the front line of the borough’s response to the Coronavirus pandemic. This will allow key workers to park in any resident or shared use parking bay in Hackney.  This is open to workers classed as key workers in government guidance, and includes: NHS workers / police Council workers, and contractors delivering services on their behalf (ie social care) School staff  Organisations providing support to vulnerable individuals, such as care home workers To apply, please provide your name, telephone number, email address, organisation name and vehicle details (make, model, colour and registration number) in an email to: parking.enforcement@hackney.gov.uk  Parks Our parks remain open to allow people to exercise, as per Government guidance, however our outdoor gyms, play areas and multi-use games areas are now closed. It is essential that park users adhere to the Government guidance about social distancing and do not congregate in groups of more than two from outside their immediate household. The Government has advised that people must only leave home for: shopping for basic necessities, as infrequently as possible one form of exercise a day – for example a run, walk, or cycle – alone or with members of your household any medical need, to provide care or to help a vulnerable person Travelling to and from work, but only where this is absolutely necessary and cannot be done from home. Additionally, however difficult it is people must not visit family members or friends; all libraries, places of worship and playgrounds will be closed, as will all shops selling non-essential items, and groups of more than two people gathering can be dispersed by the Police. It is absolutely essential that we all follow this advice to help stop the spread of the virus, protect frontline workers, our vulnerable family members and neighbours as well as our NHS. Please stay at home and stay safe. Philip Glanville Mayor of Hackney

Mayor of Hackney Philip Glanville said: At the end of a very challenging week, I wanted to write to Hackney residents to thank you all for the incredible way in which you have responded to these unprecedented circumstances. This has been such a tough few days, especially for our older people who are already self-isolating, and children and young people, whose school life and education has been disrupted in such an extreme way. Despite all the challenges, so many people in Hackney are thinking first and foremost about how they can help others Thousands of people have joined local groups, through social media, offering their time and support, and hundreds have contacted me directly. I am so very grateful to everyone who has volunteered time and resources and I wanted to assure you that we are working hard to put in place the best way to coordinate all of this. I am also very, very grateful to the existing voluntary and community sector in Hackney, one of the strongest in the UK. These groups are rising to this challenge, and we are doing everything we can to support them. Our first action has been to work with the Hackney Volunteer Centre to reach out to and coordinate the many trained and DBS (criminal records) checked volunteers in Hackney to ask for their help and make sure they are being deployed in the right places. We have to build something that will last. The Council has a statutory responsibility to provide and coordinate humanitarian assistance. In a crisis of this scale, this will mean a coordination of council services, the voluntary sector, and the wider community. We have to put in place systems to manage volunteering that will be sustainable over many months, and will put the safety of vulnerable residents at its heart. This is just the beginning, and as things get more difficult over the coming weeks, more and more people will need help. Many of those will be people who have never needed to rely on assistance until now. Secondly we have to make sure that people are safe, and that in trying to help we don’t inadvertently expose our neighbours to greater risk. That’s why we’ve put in place some basic guidelines to help local groups, which you will see below. Many have put similar ideas in place already, but others want this advice. Over the next week, we’ll be setting up a web portal where people who want to volunteer can register, and people who need assistance can also put in requests for help. We will also be setting up a phone line for those who need help but don’t have access to the Internet. That can’t be done overnight, but council officers and our partners in the voluntary sector are working flat out to achieve it as soon as possible. We hope to be able to launch all this next week. In the meantime, there are things you can do to help, from donating money to local groups, to keeping an eye on neighbours, all of which are outlined below. Meanwhile, council staff are tirelessly working to continue essential frontline services, ensuring that some of our most vulnerable residents get the support they need. I know that many of you will be worried about your jobs, income and family, and many local businesses are worried about the future. We will be here for you. While our focus this week has been on an emergency public health response, you’ll hear more next week about the measures we will take to support those who need our help. Today, together with Deputy Mayor Anntoinette Bramble, I’ve also written to every student in Hackney, many of whom will be leaving school this afternoon unsure of when they will return. I want to emphasise how proud we are of them, and we will do everything to continue to support their learning in the coming months. Yesterday we announced that no Hackney Council tenant would face eviction due to this crisis, and we have called on Government to put clear guarantees in place for private tenants. Thank you again for your generosity and resilience. I will keep you up to date as things develop. Volunteering in HackneyWhat we have doneSet up a volunteering and community task group to link up with Hackney’s Humanitarian Assistance Group.Set up a programme with Hackney’s established community and voluntary sector to make sure that Hackney’s hundreds of trained and DBS checked volunteers are being deployed where they are most needed.Lifted restrictions from voluntary groups on how they spend the grants we allocate them.What we are doingSetting up a webpage with information for people who want to volunteer their time to support Hackney throughout this crisis.Setting up a dedicated phone-line for those who are vulnerable and need help, especially those who do not have easy access to online support.Working closely with Hackney’s Food Poverty Justice Alliance to develop their support and make sure they are ready for the challenging weeks ahead.How you can help nowDONATEYou can make a financial donation to Hackney FoodbankLOOK OUT FOR OTHERSKeep an eye on your neighbours and people you know, who may need help and support. Stay in touch by phone and online to limit contact.KEEP SAFEIf you are part of an informal local social media group that is self-organising to coordinate support, please follow the safeguarding guidelines detailed here.