Harvest House Atlantic is working with Service Canada to host a second “Moving Forward Together” clinic.

The first clinic was held on November 22 and the second is now being held with expanded services.

Community agencies have been invited to either accompany or have clients attend at 108 High Street from 9 to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

The goal is for clients to receive expedited support from service providers to decrease the pressure on waiting within government facilities for assistance.

“This event helps decrease the barriers for those who can’t go to government buildings and crowded areas and for those in the homeless community to work with service providers to get the proper documentation they need and support,” says senior director Marc Belliveau.

“We’ve spoken to everyone from Ensemble to area shelters, to outreach agencies and have told them to bring their people. With all of these agencies on site, this is open to anyone in the community who needs these documents, who needs the support.”

On-site service providers at the clinic will include:

• Canadian Revenue Agency – search for last year’s file, returned mail status, address changes, info on benefits, etc.
• Community Volunteer Tax Program – filing of income tax returns
• Housing NB – updating the waitlist, searching arrears, and getting account numbers
• PETL – support for employment and education opportunities
• Service Canada – SIN number, changing address, immigration questions
• Service NB – info and clarification on needed documents, hoping to be able to complete transactions on-site for next clinic (will be confirmed prior to clinic)
• Social Development – info, updating residence confirmation
• Vital Statistics – ordering birth certificates, can be other relevant inquiries but this was the primary request

“For someone homeless or someone who is in a shelter, it’s very hard for them to make appointments. So as service providers, we’re stretched extremely thin on any given day trying to just support so many people in our care,” says Belliveau.

“To sit with somebody for an hour or two hours, even 30 minutes at a government agency is very difficult. For those who want to move forward and who want housing, who want to be employed, who want to move on to a different stage of their life, it can be very overwhelming.  These clinics assist with that.”