The Canadian Red Cross head office plans to discontinue a snow removal service for clients who are elderly or physically unable to clear their driveways buried in the white stuff.
The good news is the service is still available in the Sault for this current, brutal winter.
“The Red Cross is still operating the Home Maintenance program in Sault Ste. Marie and plans to continue offering it until March 2018,” stated Diane Lajambe, associate director, Red Cross Regional Operations North, in an email to SooToday Tuesday.
Funding for the Canadian Red Cross Sault Ste. Marie & District Branch Home Maintenance program comes from the Northeast Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) and an annual allowance given by the city of Sault Ste. Marie.
“In the meantime, we will be working with the LHIN to identify alternate solutions for our clients, one of which may be finding a different provider agency that will be able to carry on the program. This change will enable the Red Cross to focus our resources and expertise on our programs that are aligned with the core purpose of the organization,” Lajambe wrote.
The Red Cross Home Maintenance program offers not only snow removal, but also assistance with yard care and household chores for those who need it and apply for it.
Those in need may call the Red Cross at 705-759-4547 and be referred to a co-ordinator.
There are fees involved with Home Help, but if a client cannot afford the fees, the client can fill out a means test and the Red Cross will look at an individual’s needs and expenses.
Results of that means test determine if a client is eligible for a subsidy.
At Monday’s city council meeting, Ward One councillor Steve Butland made reference to the program’s discontinuation during a discussion of the city’s snow removal duties carried out by Public Works.
Butland, speaking to SooToday Tuesday, also confirmed the Red Cross Home Maintenance Program is not scheduled to end until next spring.
Butland said local Red Cross staff told him the organization’s snow removal service is slated to end as a result of a Canadian Red Cross decision at the national head office level.
Butland said the city still has $50,000 in funding available for the Red Cross program this year, with additional funding available from the Sault Ste. Marie District Social Services Administration Board (SSMDSSAB).
Staff from Social Services and the Canadian Red Cross head office were not immediately available for comment Tuesday.