Reopening of ACT Offices

When booking an appointment, please connect with your ACT staff contact that you plan on seeing. We'll confirm your appointment within 24 hours and provide you with the meeting room that is booked for your appointment.

Please note the following:

• Once ACT staff reach out to confirm your appointment, they will remind you to pre-screen your health/symptoms for COVID-19. Should you have any of the symptoms (see Pre-Screening Before Your Appointment below), please reschedule your appointment as a virtual appointment if you wish to maintain your time. Self isolate and consider getting tested for COVID-19. Reschedule an in-person appointment once you feel better.
• We won't be able to see service users outside of a booked appointment during this first step of reopening.
• If you want to access the computers or have a video chat with your ACT staff contact, Room F will be available for program staff to book for you.

In accordance with the City of Toronto By-Law 541-2020, everyone who comes to the ACT office is required to wear a mask or face shield for the duration of any in-person appointment. Please note that:

• A mask/face covering must be worn at all times.
• If you are not comfortable wearing a mask, we can provide you with a face shield.
• Service users who refuse to wear a mask/face covering or shield will be asked to leave and re-schedule a virtual appointment.

Service users are asked to self screen for risk factors linked to COVID-19 before coming into the office. Please check for the following symptoms:

• Fever
• Cough
• Difficulty breathing
• Sore throat or trouble swallowing
• Runny nose
• Loss of taste or smell
• Not feeling well
• Nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea

If you are feeling any of the symptoms listed above, we ask that you stay home, self-isolate and please consider getting tested for COVID-19.

When entering the building, please make sure to do the following:

1. Use hand santizer
2. Wear a mask or face covering
3. Limit the number of people in the elevator. We have a maximum of four (4) people in the elevator at a time.
4. Stairs are accessible for use if you don't want to use the elevator

When coming off the elevator, please make sure that you:

• Use of hand sanitizer (yes, you'll be asked to use it again!).
• Wear a mask or face covering. If you don't have one, one will be provided to you at the Access Centre. A face covering must be worn at all times while in the offices to abide by City of Toronto's By-Law 541-2020.
• Check in with Access Centre Staff to confirm your appointment.
• Maintain physical distance between yourself and others.
• Please arrive no more than 5-10 minutes from your appointment. Have a seat in the Access Centre area. Seating is cleaned before and after each use.
• The ACT staff you are meeting with will come to meet you.
• Guests will be screened for COVID upon arrival by Access Centre staff.

We have made some changes to our office, including adding plexiglass and decals on the floor to encourage physical distancing. Some of our other changes include:

1. Our meeting rooms are adapted for one-on-one meetings to ensure appropriate physical distancing.
2. Rooms include plexiglass to ensure safety of you and staff. Masks/face coverings must be worn at all times.
3. Prior to and after your appointment, the room, including tables, chairs, plexiglass and other surfaces are thoroughly cleaned by ACT staff.

We made some changes to some public access items during this time.

1. There is no access to public phones or computers. We apologize for the inconvenience
2. The water cooler will be available. It will be sanitized regularly.
3. There will be no coffee service at this time.

We have locked the middle stalls in the gendered washrooms. The single stall washroom is available for use. Please ensure that:

• Maintain a maximum of two (2) people in the washroom at a time. Consider using the single stall washroom if the gendered washroom is occupied.
• Continue practicing good hygiene. Wash your hands after use of the washrooms.
• Washrooms are for staff and service users with scheduled appointments only during Step 1.

When leaving the building, please make sure you:

1. Use hand santizer upon leaving the office and the building.
2. Continue wearing your face covering.

Harm reduction  and sexual health supplies can requested for curbside pickup from the 543 Yonge Street Lobby (ground level); this service requires 48 hours notice.

For sexual health supplies (condoms, lube, glove kits), please contact Aaron at aclarke@actoronto.org or 416-340-8484 ext. 350

For harm reduction supplies (pipes, syringes, straws, GHB dosing kits), please contact Gavin at gbejaimal@actoronto.org or 416-340-8484 ext. 454.

The following are the programs being offered during this period. All programs are offered by appointment only:

• Individual Counselling
• Employment ACTion
• PYO (for individual support)
• Women's Support Services (for individual support)
• Intake services

All other ACT programs and services will continue online. For more information, please contact ask@actoronto.org or connect with your ACT counsellor or staff person.

All other ACT programs and services will continue online (such as group-based Women' Programming, PYO and all support and educational groups). For more information, please contact ask@actoronto.org or connect with your ACT counsellor or staff person.

Like many other organizations, ACT is required by Toronto Public Health to keep track of who comes into the building every day for the purposes of Contact Tracing. Contact Tracing is a process that is used to identify, educate and communicate with individuals who may have had close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

If someone who has been to ACT gets a positive COVID-19 test, other people who were in the office on the same day would be informed of a potential of contact with the virus, and given information and resources on COVID-19, and where to get a test if they would like one. For more information, please speak to an ACT staff member.