Front-line health staff seek housing to isolate and keep their families safe

As hospitals in British Columbia treat patients with  COVID-19, front-line staff are worried about carrying the virus into their own homes and are reaching out to their community to find alternate places stay. 

"This virus could be anywhere, I could have brought it home and my kids might be in danger," said Lina Smurthwaite, a health-care aide at the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria.

Royal Jubilee is one of two hospitals on Vancover Island charged with taking care of COVID-19 patients and Smurthwaite's work brings her in contact with people who potentially have the disease.

Smurthwaite says she is committed to her work and willing to take the risks associated with it, but she is unwilling to risk the health of her husband and two young daughters. To protect them Smurthwaite developed an intensive decontamination routine after getting home from work every day and then would isolate herself in her room.

But her routine was unsustainable and she started looking for a separate space she could live in while she continues to work.

"I looked on Craigslist, I called a few hotels, but I couldn't afford it on top of my rent," she said.

Smurthwaite ended up reaching out on social media to find a place to stay and says  her colleagues with families are facing the same dilemma. 

New website offers support

The social media call outs by Smurthwaite and others inspired Heather Conquergood and a small group of volunteers to develop a solution. They created a website called healthworkerhousing.ca that connects property owners who have empty suites with health-care staff in need of low-cost housing for isolatin. Within a few days they had it up and running.

"So far we have about 80 offers from property owners and about 50 health-care workers who have asked to see the listings," said Conquergood from Victoria.

"We have everything from properties that used to be Air BNBs. We have people with furnished suits that were sitting empty … it really runs the gamut."

Following the website's success in Victoria, Conquergood says they are expanding to Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa and Kingston. One of the keys, she explains, is to keep costs low for medical workers. Their guidelines ask that property owners don't charge more than $500 a month per person, but she says many people are offering their property for less. 

A safe place to sleep

Paul Peterson and his wife own a house in Oak Bay, not far from the Royal Jubilee Hospital. They have a self-contained suite in the basement that is currently vacant.

"I'm not going to charge rent," said Peterson. "If those health-care workers can find a place to isolate near where they're working then they are not infecting their own family and not spreading the virus."

For her part, Smurthwaite says she broke down in tears when she found a place to live.

"I feel safer, I feel like my family is safer," she said.

"I am a lot less stressed about doing my job and I can actually concentrate."