Brightside COVID-19 Brief #16

March 26, 2021

 

We begin our first Brightside COVID-19 Brief of 2021 on a hopeful note with Spring upon us and a vaccination program well under way. By now, some of you have already received your vaccine or will be receiving one soon. All of us can expect the opportunity to be vaccinated as early as this Summer. And while most of us would agree that 2020 was a tough year all around, things are genuinely looking up for 2021.

 

In this Brightside Brief, we will look at the COVID-19 vaccine: how, when, and where you can expect to get one, things you may need or want to know, what to expect, and where to get more information. We are also planning an AMA, or “Ask-Me-Anything” Q&A session with our community partners at REACH Community Health Centre.

 

All of us at Brightside are excited at the prospect of getting our vaccines. We miss being social and we miss being a truly in-person part of the Brightside community. While we wait for more social times ahead – while we continue to wear our face masks and practice physical distancing – we can celebrate the opportunity to safely gather with groups of up to 10 people outdoors this Spring.

 

In the meantime, we want all of you to know that if you are experiencing extraordinary hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we invite you to contact our office by phone or by email as we may be able to provide assistance. You can contact us by email at info@brightsidehomes.ca, or leaving a voicemail at 604-684-3515 for more information.

 

As always, we continue to request that residents confirmed to have COVID-19 inform Brightside immediately. Your privacy is of paramount importance to Brightside and this information will be taken in confidence to help ensure protective measures are taken.

 

Sincerely,
BRIGHTSIDE COMMUNITY HOMES FOUNDATION

 

COVID-19 Vaccination – Appointments & Eligibility

 

British Columbia is currently in Phase 2 of the Vaccine Rollout Plan, and will be moving into Phase 3 in April 2021. At this stage, if you are age 80 or older, or if you are Indigenous and age 65 or older, you can call to book your vaccination appointment anytime.

 

Your health region is Vancouver Coastal Health. For up-to-date information on the vaccine rollout and eligibility, please visit vch.ca

 

Please DO NOT call unless you are eligible.

 

VCH VACCINE APPOINTMENT BOOKINGS:

1-877-587-5767

The phone line will be open daily from 7 am – 7 pm

 

When you call Vancouver Coastal Health, you will be asked for:

• First and last name
• Date of birth
• Postal code
• Personal Health Number

 

You can find your Personal Health Number on the back of your B.C. Driver’s Licence, BC Services Card, or CareCard. If you do not have a Personal Health Number, you can still receive the vaccine.

 

You will also be asked for contact information:

• An email address that gets checked regularly
  or
• A phone number that can receive text messages

 

NOTE: You will never be asked for your Social Insurance Number, Driver’s Licence number, or banking and credit card details.

Visit http://www.vch.ca/covid-19/covid-19-vaccine to find out which age groups are currently eligible for vaccination.

 

COVID-19 Vaccination – Information & Resources

 

Vaccinations are currently being rolled out to the general public on the basis of age. As of March 19, 2021, vaccinations have been made available to all seniors over the age of 80. As the province moves into Phase 3 of the Immunization Plan, more age groups (people aged 79 to 60) will become eligible, as well as people who are considered clinically extremely vulnerable.

 

As noted in the Provincial Immunization Plan, you will not miss your chance to the get the vaccine when a new phase starts. Once you become eligible, you are always eligible. For example:

 

• If you are eligible in Phase 2, you can still get the vaccine in Phase 3 or Phase 4
• If you are eligible in Phase 3, you can still get the vaccine in Phase 4

 

All people in B.C. recommended to receive the vaccine will have the opportunity to get it in 2021.

 

For more details on the Provincial Immunization Plan, including information translated into up to 12 languages, please visit
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/vaccine/plan

 

Need more information?

Information on VCH vaccination clinics:

Visit vch.ca

Clinical questions:

Speak with your family doctor, nurse practitioner, or call 8-1-1

Questions about COVID-19:

Call 1-888-COVID19 (1-888-268-4319) or visit gov.bc.ca/covid19

 

COVID-19 Vaccination AMA “Ask Me Anything” with REACH Community Health Centre

 

Do you have a question about COVID-19 vaccines/vaccination that you would like answered? The community health experts at REACH Community Health Centre will be offering an opportunity for you, the Brightside resident community, to get answers to some of the questions you may have.

 

REACH pharmacy manager Afshin Jaberi and other clinic staff will be answering any questions you may have, whether they are about the available COVID-19 vaccines and how they work, the vaccination process, concerns you may have about vaccinations, or whatever you may want to know about COVID-19 vaccination.

 

Please write your question below and drop this page in your building manager’s drop box or submit by email by Friday, April 2, 2021. We will try to have as many of them answered by REACH as possible. All questions will be totally anonymous. We will distribute the answers to your questions as soon as they are available. The AMA will also be available on the Brightside website.

 

Submit your questions to vaccineAMA@brightsidehomes.ca or  you can CLICK HERE to download a printable AMA submission form that you can put in your building manager’s drop box.

Deadline for question submission is April 2, 2021 at 5:00pm.

 

Ongoing COVID-19 Province-Wide Restrictions

 

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry recently updated the Province-wide restrictions applicable to all residents of British Columbia. While many of the restrictions have remained the same, small, socially-distanced gatherings involving groups of up to 10 people are now permitted.

 

• Up to 10 people can gather outdoors. For example:
  • Up to 10 people can gather at a park or beach
  • Up to 10 people can gather in the backyard of a residence

 

Do not gather with several groups of new people. Stick to the same group of people. Continue to use COVID-19 layers of protection and maintain physical distancing.

 

• No social gatherings of any size at your residence with anyone other than your core bubble:
  • For most people, their core bubble is their immediate household. An immediate household is a group of people who live in the same residence.
  • If you live alone, your “core bubble” can be up to two people outside of your immediate household with whom you may get together in your home. It is important that these two other people are not part of anyone else’s “core bubble” so as to minimized everyone’s risk of exposure.
  • All restrictions for indoor gatherings remain in place. No indoor gatherings of any size are allowed.

 

• Mask requirements in public indoor settings:
  • Masks are required for everyone in many public indoor settings. A face shield is not a substitute for a mask
  • You are subject to a $230 fine if you:
    • Do not wear a mask in an indoor public setting, unless you are exempt
    • Refuse to comply with the direction of an enforcement officer, including the direction to leave the space or
    • Engage in abusive or belligerent behaviour

 

• The following activities are not considered a social gathering and are permitted:
  • Going for a walk or hike
  • Parents carpooling kids to and from school
  • Grandparents providing child care
  • Public pools and public skating rinks, when not associated with an event, are allowed to continue to operate with a COVID-19 Safety Plan

 

For more information on the current Province-Wide Restrictions as ordered by Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, please visit:https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/info/restrictions

 

Ongoing Office Closure

 

The Brightside office remains closed to all visitors. Brightside staff are not available at the office to meet with residents at this time. Residents are encouraged to either leave a voicemail at 604-684-3515 or contact us by email at info@brightsidehomes.ca for all matters. The team is working hard to ensure we respond to all enquiries as soon as possible.

 

Operations – Repair Requests

 

Residents continue to be able to submit repair requests for regular repairs, as well as emergency repairs. Submitting a signed repair request gives permission for trades and/or Brightside staff to enter your unit.

 

Residents can now also submit a Request for Repairs form online and attach photos of the repair being requested on the Brightside Website. Visit the website to fill in the form here:
https://brightsidehomes.ca/residents-and-properties/reporting-an-issue/

 

For any in-suite repairs/maintenance, residents will be offered gloves and masks while Brightside staff/tradespeople are in your home for repairs to reduce the spread of the virus. If you are exhibiting any signs of illness and have submitted a repair request, or are concerned that you have been in contact with someone that has COVID-19, please contact Brightside as soon as possible to cancel or reschedule repairs.

 

Note that some of our contractors have their own protocols in place that may require residents to leave their suite or to stay in another room while repairs take place.  We ask that residents be understanding and follow these additional requests by tradespeople to allow for repairs to take place.

 

As we continue to experience a higher-than-normal number of repair requests, all non-emergency requests will be completed as received, on a priority basis. If you are comfortable with Brightside staff or tradespeople completing in-suite repairs, please submit your request in writing. If you are not yet comfortable with staff/tradespeople entering your unit at this time, you may deny access to your home.

 

We thank you for your patience and understanding as we work within the provincially regulated guidelines.

 

Pay Rent with Pre-Authorized Debit

 

A reminder to all Brightside residents that Pre-Authorized Debit offers a great alternative to the inconvenience of dropping cash or cheques at the Brightside office or in the mail.

 

As an alternative to cash or post-dated cheques, Brightside has a simple, safe and secure Pre-Authorized Debit option available for those wishing to have their rent conveniently deducted automatically. We encourage all residents to sign up for the Pre-Authorized Debit (PAD) program for paying monthly rent. The PAD program saves time and helps ensure rent payments are not late or missed, and there are no fees to sign up.

 

The information exchanged between the bank and Brightside will use secure data transfer channels as required by the bank. Only authorized staff at Brightside will have limited access to your account information. Brightside is governed by the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

 

If you would like to sign up for Pre-Authorized Debit, you can contact the office to have a Pre-Authorized Debit application form sent to you by email or by Canada Post, or you can check the lobby/foyer of your building.

 

1. Fill out the Pre-Authorized Debit application form

2. Attach a blank/void cheque

3. Make sure document is signed and initialed

4. Mail or email your application to Brightside

 

Pro Tip – VOID Cheques: If you already have cheques, simply draw a line on the cheque and write “VOID” across it. If you do not use cheques, one can be obtained from your banking institution.

 

Brightside Welcomes Anjali Marshall and Grant Bready to the Team

 

Anjali Marshall, Residential Tenancy Specialist

We are delighted to introduce Brightside’s Residential Tenancy Specialist, Anjali Marshall. Anjali has been working with the Operations team for a number of months and may already be a familiar voice for many residents.

Anjali has 10+ years of experience working in the non-profit sector including social/subsidized housing, modular housing and frontline support services. In her previous positions, she was tasked with a wide range of property management duties, including moving-in 100+ residents into newly built buildings, maintaining 100% occupancy, handling rent collections/rent subsidy applications, managing tenancy agreements, and handling all tenant inquiries. She has also worked recently with McLaren Housing and RainCity Housing Society. Anjali loves camping, biking, cooking, and watching Hindi movies.

 

Grant Bready, Mobile Field Technician

We also have the pleasure of introducing Grant Bready, who joined the Brightside Field Team earlier this year as a Mobile Field Technician.

For the past 10+ years, Grant has been working as a customer service field technician in high-rise construction. He has been formally recognized for consistently exceeding targets, outstanding customer and technical service, and his strong teamwork and leadership abilities. He is very excited to be part of a mission-driven organization and looks forward to being part of the Brightside team. Grant enjoys spending time with friends and family and learning new things.