Good Shepherd Works Program helps bed bug sufferers in Hamilton, Ontario There have been a flurry of articles on bed bugs in Hamilton, Ontario this week. Today, the Hamilton Spectator brings our attention to the Good Shepherd Works Program, which assists people in Hamilton who are dealing with bed bugs. Ralph Guarino was one of those who benefitted: “Oh my God, you’re sleeping and you get itchy. You start scratching and you can’t sleep anymore. It was pretty awful,” he says of his two year battle to get rid of them. “When you scratch too much, you start bleeding.” The 45-year-old schizophrenia sufferer is finally bedbug-free thanks to a Good Shepherd crew that thoroughly vacuums and steam-cleans a place before pest control spraying and then returns in 10 to 14 days to do it all again if necessary. Guarino is among hundreds of mostly poor Hamiltonians with bedbug infestations this past year. Many weren’t as lucky in getting rid of them. “It’s a huge problem right now, and I don’t think people are grasping this,” says Matt Bowen, manager of the Good Shepherd Works Program, a social enterprise concentrating on the social aspects of business by giving jobs to people with employment barriers such as mental illness or learning disabilities.
The roster of 80 workers are paid $9.50 to $12 an hour to clean, paint, landscape and do lawn maintenance, but “the bedbug problem is our meat and potatoes,” treating 250 apartments a year, Bowen says. Hamilton’s social housing is their biggest client. If you’re on a low income and dealing with bed bugs in Hamilton, Good Works may be able to help you. The Good Shepherd Works Program can offer advice and sometimes advocacy for people who call its bedbug hotline at 905-525-5188, ext. 23. We’ve long been fans of Toronto’s Bug and Scrub — another service that hires people who need work — in this case, shelter guests who are trained and paid to do bed bug prep and treatment, treatment which is priced right for those on low incomes. What could be better than helping people who need work get work, and helping people who need help with bed bug prep and treatment to get good treatment? Previous post: Bed bug in your hotel bed? Kansas does not care Next post: Dayton drug raid discovers bed bugs
No appointment is necessary. Service is first-come, first-served.Unfortunately, we cannot respond by email because the available items change on a daily basis. Please bring ID and proof of income (such as your stub from Ontario Works or ODSP) or a referral slip from a referring agency. You will need to make your own arrangements to transport your chosen items to your home; although, occasionally we can refer you to someone who might be able to help you for a small fee. Funding for this project is provided in part by The Martin Fund of the Hamilton Community Foundation. City struggles to keep up with Hamilton's bed bug infestation By Samantha Craggs, CBC News Posted: Mar 17, 2014 7:18 PM ET Last Updated: Mar 17, 2014 7:18 PM ET Bed bugs are reaching near epidemic proportions in Hamilton, says a city councillor. The city will spend a combined $450,000 this year helping residents deal with them. Hamilton’s bed bug problem is nearing an epidemic, and the city is spending nearly half a million dollars to try to deal with it.
The city has seen a 600-per cent increase in bed bugs since 2006. City hall fields about 600 calls per year about them, and that’s not including homeowners or people who don’t report it. On Monday, the city’s public works committee voted to use $350,000 allocated last year to combat bed bugs, and another $100,000 on a “navigator” to help guide low-income and vulnerable populations through the arduous process of getting rid of them. “We’re looking at an epidemic in the future if we don’t address this matter,” said Coun. Sam Merulla of Ward 4. Merulla also successfully moved that the city approach the provincial and federal governments to establish a national prevention strategy. Bed bugs are a highly noxious insect commonly found in apartment buildings. They feed on blood, and can survive months without a meal, said Susan Harding-Cruz, manager of the vector borne disease program at Hamilton Public Health Services. They crawl into any opening, including through drains and light fixtures, said Harding-Cruz and Kirsten Maxwell, policy and program specialist with city housing services in a presentation.
They are skilled at hiding. Throughout the night, they bite people in their beds, causing sleep deprivation and long-term anxiety. Those who have them suffer social stigma, which means shame and isolation, Harding-Cruz said. In a letter read by Maxwell, one victim said she felt like she was losing her mind from the ordeal. Can cost thousands to eradicate them Getting rid of them requires using plastic to seal clothes, mattresses and other possessions for two weeks while exterminators spray. Even preparing to process costs as much as $2,000 per apartment. Bed bugs are also becoming immune to the spray, Maxwell said. And some apartments are reinfected multiple times. CityHousing Hamilton, which owns the city’s public housing stock, will spend a whopping $1 million to fight infestations in 2014. Of the money allocated last year, $150,000 will be spent treating the issue in residential care facilities. Another $100,000 will pay for staff to develop a bed bug strategy.
Also, $100,000 will support vulnerable populations in preparing for treatment, as well as education and resources. Councillors voted Monday to spend $100,000 to hire a “navigator” to help guide low-income and vulnerable populations through the complex process of riding their homes of bed bugs. Bed bugs are a terrible problem, said Coun. Tom Jackson of Ward 6. He told the story of an elderly widow in his ward who has lived in her home for more than 50 years. Battling the landlord on bed bugs She got a sudden case of bed bugs, and she was unable to afford the $900 to spray her home, or do the physical work to isolate her belongings. Her church friends also refused to come to her house, Jackson said. Shawn Comer lives at 165 Queen St. S. and appeared before committee for a second time about the cockroaches and bed bugs in his apartment. He cares for his elderly mother, who has Alzheimer’s disease. Bed bugs crawl on her at night too, he said. When he looked at his apartment, he said, “I was promised it was clean and pest free and it wasn’t.”
But being on social assistance, he can’t afford higher rent. He wants to see an inspection system or new element of bylaw enforcement in place where landlords can’t rent apartments unless they’re proven to be free of bed bugs. “This has gone on too long and it needs to be dealt with,” he said. Round goby fish thrive in Hamilton Harbour's contamination Meet Hamilton's first Arabic-speaking midwife 'Freedom and liberty' demonstration outnumbered by 'anti-fascist' demonstrators Port Colborne rallies around high school couple targeted by racist slur 3 new Ontario songs you need to hear this week Canadian music renaissance is over, but Matthew Good isn't Birds are coming back and there might not be enough food: RBG head 'Freedom and liberty' march to be met with rival 'anti-fascist' march at city hall After 60 years, street hockey will be legal in Hamilton again Police say grocery security guard extorted alleged shoplifters