Coronavirus – community support

How you can help now

Covid-19, and the measures taken in response, continue to impact all of us in City and Hackney. Our Community Champions network is empowering thousands of City and Hackney residents to stay up to date with the latest advice about Covid-19.

The council will keep you informed of the latest advice and guidance so that you can help your family, friends and other community members to make sense of the latest facts about the virus.

Who are Community Champions?

• a local, community network, made up of people who live, work, volunteer or study in City and Hackney
• Community Champions support their family, friends and wider community and help make sense of the latest advice and information about Covid-19 and help ensure we all keep as safe and as informed as possible

What do they do?

• as a Champion, you will receive regular updates on the latest local and national COVID-19 news, through WhatsApp, e-newsletters and live forums
• you will have the chance to ask your questions to the experts and attend forums
• you can be involved as much, or as little as you like and fit it around your own schedule
• by having and sharing clear information, you, your friends, family and community can make informed choices

Become a Community Champion

Anyone can become a Community Champion. Becoming a Community Champion is simple and quick:

• sign up to be a champion (takes two minutes)
• receive the latest information about Covid-19
• share this information with your friends, family and community, however you want
• let us know what is and isn’t working and help us produce materials that the community needs (if you want)

Together we can work to keep Hackney and the City of London safe.

To join our network of Community Champions email phcc@vchackney.org or call 07305 162725.

Donate

If you wish to make a financial contribution, you can donate to Hackney Foodbank, which urgently needs donations.

Hackney Giving has launched a fundraising appeal for a coronavirus response fund. Run by Hackney CVS, the fund will provide grants to small, local organisations that are caring for our residents.

Look out for others

Keep 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.

Resources

We want our vulnerable people, such as those with learning disabilities, to stay safe and well. Many of them will need support to do this. We have put together some information to help including easy read information.

Find support services map

The find support services map shows organisations that are open but providing an online or phone alternative to their usual activities in response to coronavirus (COVID-19).

Keep safe

If you are part of an informal local social media group that is self-organising to coordinate support, please follow the guidelines for safe volunteering and helping.

Whilst carrying out any local volunteer activities, such as helping your neighbours who are self-isolating with everyday tasks, please continue to abide by the social distancing guidelines:

• remain two metres away from the person who is in isolation at all times. You can leave any food or goods that you have collected for your neighbour on the doorstep, and communicate over the phone or by sending a message
• do not carry out tasks in groups, and ensure that you are abiding by the two metre rule when out and about
• try not to carry out too many tasks in one go, to limit your contact with other people. For example, try to ensure that you’re only visiting the local shop once a day, if possible
• check if a certain task can be done from home. For example, many pharmacies provide free deliveries of prescription medication. You could order a delivery on behalf of your neighbour, if they do not have access to the internet or are unsure of how to do this themselves. Please note that it’s best to place prescription delivery orders 5-10 days before you need the medication to arrive, due to delivery times
• do not carry out any deliveries or tasks if you are feeling unwell. If you have a fever, or a new continuous cough, you should follow Public Health England guidelines and self-isolate

Watch out for coronavirus scams

View help and advice on avoiding coronavirus-related scams.

What we have done

The Council and Volunteer Centre Hackney (VC Hackney) have been working closely to develop a volunteering hub, which will provide assistance to communities across our borough in both the long and short term. As part of this, we have:

• set 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 doing

Hackney’s Volunteering Hub forms part of the borough’s wider community support offer, which includes:

• working closely with Hackney’s Food Poverty Justice Alliance to develop their support and make sure they are ready for the challenging weeks ahead
• 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
• building a network of trusted neighbourhood institutions, such as community centres, and provide these groups with advice and guidance to help them run local schemes to reach residents who are isolated
• providing support for those who have been affected by the economic impacts of the Coronavirus, such as those who have lost jobs or are unable to go to work, or local business owners
• ensuring that provisions are put in place to make sure that no one is struggling with food poverty

Hackney Council for Voluntary Service (HCVS)

HCVS have published a range of information and guidance around the coronavirus.

Other ways you can help now

Share key messages on Covid-19

You can help by sharing information from trusted sources such as the NHS, PHE, the government and the Council on your personal, workplace and community channels such as:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Whatsapp
• Nextdoor
• Linkedin
• community newsletters
• noticeboards
• leaflets

We also have a variety of materials in different languages available.

Make sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Nextdoor to get the latest covid-19 updates. Share the social media posts with public health messages to help get the message out as widely as possible and help keep people safe.

Other things you can share

Our Director of Public Health, Dr Sandra Husbands (a doctor for 33 years) has:

• written a blog answering some of your most common questions about the vaccines
• answered your common questions in our YouTube playlist
• Dr Husbands answers common questions on coronavirus full length video

We have made a video of the vaccination centre to explain the process to people:

• see a walkthrough of a vaccination centre

We’ve also worked with other local medical professionals to help allay any concerns you might have about the vaccination roll out – see our vaccination YouTube playlist

Community leaders across Hackney have been sharing how important it is to get the vaccine

Languages other than English

• covid-19 vaccine information booklet – English
• covid-19 vaccine information booklet – English (large print)
• covid-19 vaccine information booklet – Turkish
• covid-19 vaccine information booklet – Spanish
• covid-19 vaccine information booklet – Bengali
• covid-19 vaccine information booklet – Arabic
• covid-19 vaccine information booklet – French

Doctors of the World

Doctors, medical students and volunteers have created infographics to help share information on Covid-19 in a variety of languages to get the right information, in an easy-to-understand format.