Good Shepherd reopens McGinty House to spare hospital beds for COVID-19 patients

Good Shepherd has reopened McGinty House to spare hospital beds and provide care for COVID-19 patients.

The supportive housing site on Catharine Street North freed up 10 acute care beds for local hospitals. The patients will stay in the building during the pandemic and will get 24-hour mental health support.

The house was closed three years ago for renovations, but re-opened last Monday and is already full.

Good Shepherd's HOMES supportive housing program will staff and oversee McGinty House, which has been used to provide transitional housing to homeless men.

John Lee, the HOMES program director, said patients are "folks we would normally provide long-term housing to."

"We just don't have ongoing funding to meet that need so we were able to secure funding with support of St. Joe's and Hamilton Health Sciences to provide some relief to the healthcare system during the pandemic."

Lee said it took a week-and-a-half to outfit the home, though there is still being more added to the building. Each bed has its own room and two workers will be in the building at all times.

"One of the challenges we're facing is we usually have accommodations like shared dining rooms but because of COVID-19 we're not taking that approach," Lee said.

"During meal-time we have meals delivered to their rooms and there's a back patio for nicer days."

Staff have personal protective equipment available, but Lee said they likely won't need much so long as they stay six feet away from patients.

Good Shepherd recently ordered face masks, which are expected to be distributed this week.

After the pandemic, Lee said McGinty House may even be able to house some of the homeless population.

This follows the city of Hamilton opening FirstOntario Centre as a shelter for men experiencing homelessness.

"It's something this community can be proud of because we are looking after the most vulnerable," Lee said.

"We need to take care of folks who are marginalized and are often overlooked in order to provide a foundation of care for everyone in the community."