Despite the Hackney Chinese Community Centre being closed since lockdown, we continue to provide a good service to our members, who are mostly over 70.
Unfortunately, whist we have been sadly forced to suspend services at our centre, including our wonderful Pot Luck Club, we continue to provide outreach services to our members and wider community.
Outreach for our vulnerable members
Through our Luncheon Club and Isolation Reduction Projects, our front line staff are very knowledgeable about our Chinese and Vietnamese community members and as they see them several times a week at the centre, and they are finely tuned in understanding their unique requirements. They have identified vulnerable members based on their age, physical ability and family circumstances, including one of our members who is 100 years old!
Yan and Jennie contact our vulnerable members by phone once a week, to check on their welfare, confirm their support networks and check if they have food and other essentials available to them. So far, all of our members are in good mental health and are supported by their families. They are however, grateful that our centre continues to provide a service to connect them to the outside world and ensure their well being.
We usually offer support for hospital and other medical visits through our Health Link Project however, most people have opted not to go to the hospital without some one accompanying them.
We are currently looking to adapt our offerings to our isolated members, through the internet and Zoom calls and would like to adapt what we can do for our members as time goes on.
Information and Advice
Our Advice Project is ongoing, and telephone advice can be provided to people by calling our number 020 8986 6171 during normal office hours. So far, we have advised on employment advice and job retention, as well as benefits such as universal credit. As well as advice in these areas, we also offer advice on general matters, housing, benefits, matrimonial, social services and child arrangements.
Covid 19 Support
We have arranged for volunteers to work with the Tower Hamlets Chinese association to provide support services for members of the Chinese and Vietnamese community.
We have also taken in large donations of facial masks from our generous benefactors the Chinese Embassy, Chinatown Chinese Community Centre, Chinese Information and Advice Centre, Dongguan Association and comrades from Democracy for Hong Kong. These masks have been distributed to our staff and members. They have also been donated to Homerton Hospital and to our local care centres.
Finally, we are taking the threats and attacks as a result of Covid 19 to our Chinese and South East Asian communities very seriously. Our manager Jabez has been at the forefront of our community in raising awareness about the impact the increased racism has had on our communities. He has been involved weekly in the Covid 19 Chinese and East Asian Forum, virtual Tea Parties with A Peace of Cake to discuss racism in the community and spoken to local press, as well as participating in London School of Tropics, Hygiene and medicine forum regarding discrimination and racism during the Coronavirus outbreak.
As issues progress we look to adapt and increasing our offering to our members. In the wider community, we will ensure that we are at the forefront in combating racism and attack.