Just about anything is good to talk about with an Intake Worker. No subject is taboo! Here are some examples:

• Housing, employment, LGBTQ2, food, furniture, income and budgeting, or any workshops you might be interested in
• Family stressors, an abusive relationship, violence at home or any concerns about immigration or your health
• Any suicidal thoughts you may have or any mental health issues you are facing
• After your initial visit with the Intake Worker, she may also be able to offer you some counselling

Intake Workers will always listen to you with respect, concern and empathy. They take heart in helping you. That is why they will always make sure to take all the time needed to get a clear picture of your situation. That way, they will be able to identify the resources in the community that are the best fit for your needs.

A crisis is when an individual or a family cannot cope on their own with circumstances or a situation. They need help and guidance to do so. That is why the OCCRC plays a key role in times of crisis. When an individual or a family sits down with an OCCRC Intake Worker to discuss a situation, she makes them feel welcome. She listens with respect, concern and empathy. She also takes the time to get a clear picture of what they are going through. That way, she can decide which assistance and services would be most helpful to the individual or the family.

An Intake Worker usually works with individuals over 16 years of age. However, families who need services for individuals under 16 years of age can also meet with an Intake Worker to determine which services in the community would best help them.  A number of OCCRC programs require that individuals and families first meet with an Intake Worker to determine if they qualify for these programs. If they do, the Intake Worker will refer them to these programs.

To best assist you, OCCRC Intake Workers determine your catchment area based on the postal code of your address.  A number of programs, including but not limited to, the Food Bank, income taxes and the School Supplies Program, are only offered to clients in their catchment area. This is to ensure that the needs of all members in the community are met.

The OCCRC determines low-income eligibility based on the Low-Income Cut-Off (LICO) Scale that Statistics Canada publishes each year. The eligibility to a number of programs, including the Food Bank, income taxes and the School Supplies Program, is based on your income. But the eligibility to number of other programs, including counselling, referrals and the Ontario Early Years Centre, is not based on your income.

No, they are not at all. In addition, the work environment of OCCRC Intake Workers is completely neutral and free of any bias or prejudice. It is where individuals feel free to talk about any difficult situations or challenges in their lives. They are also at ease to express their anger and frustrations, or to discuss their fears, anguish and depression. Intake Workers are very experienced and compassionate people. That is why they take great care in making sure that individuals who meet with them receive the help they need. They work closely with them and with community agencies to resolve conflictual situations. They also do advocacy work on behalf of their clients and they are involved in the Orléans-Cumberland Community.

At this time, the OCCRC does not have a psychiatrist or a psychologist on staff. However, individuals with ongoing issues can benefit from up to 6 sessions of counselling with Intake Workers. If they need more sessions, they will be referred to partner agencies in the community, including Catholic Family Services and Women and Violence, where a social worker or a counsellor will continue to help them.