January 28, 2022 | Operations Updates

Updates to COVID-19 Protocols at University Family Housing

The Ontario government is easing some COVID-19 restrictions effective January 31, 2022. As this situation progresses, we are committed to sharing the latest information on significant changes that will be implemented and may impact University Family Housing. 

Below are details pertaining to building maintenance, residence life programming, the Free Store, the Drop-in Centre, common spaces, relevant COVID-19 information, and additional resources. The impacts to these services and programs are aligned with the province’s recommendations and advice from the University of Toronto’s Environmental Health and Safety (EHS). Some recommendations will be taken into effect January 31st, while others will be effective as of February 7, 2022.  

Building Maintenance

As part of a safe and gradual return to campus and in accordance with University and provincial guidelines, we will now be returning to addressing non-emergency maintenance requests effective February 7, 2022. We kindly ask for your patience as we deal with the backlog of non-emergency requests that will come through. Please continue to issue maintenance work orders on the StarRez Portal.  

We want to hear from you! To ensure your satisfaction and further improve our maintenance process, we would appreciate you providing us with feedback on our service. Effective January 10th, you can now expect to receive an automated survey via email once work is completed pertaining to your maintenance work order request. This brief survey will give you the opportunity to evaluate and comment on work done and provide our team with valuable feedback on our services.  

Residence Life Programming

We are pleased to announce that we will be returning to a hybrid approach to our residence life programming that will include virtual and in-person activities. Our approach to in-person activities will be gradual and consider physical distancing and social gathering limits.  

We will continue to closely follow the guidelines set by EHS and will update our programs and services accordingly as directed by EHS in accordance with Toronto Public Health.  

For more information on our programs, schedule, and registration, please visit us at https://events.studentfamilyhousing.utoronto.ca/  

To make it easier for residents to learn about all the wonderful programming available we will be launching a new events calendar on our website in February and will provide more information on this in the coming weeks. 

The Free Store

The Free Store will reopen the week of February 7, 2022. For more information on hours and capacity limits please visit us at https://studentfamilyhousing.utoronto.ca/residence-life/free-store/  

The Drop-In Centre

Drop-in Centre programs will reopen the week of February 7, 2022. For more information on hours and how to register, please visit us at https://studentfamilyhousing.utoronto.ca/drop-in-centre/  

Common Spaces

Indoor common spaces such as the lounge and meeting room will continue to remain open with enhanced cleaning protocols and following the guidance of EHS. Capacity limits will be increased to 10 people per room in accordance with updated capacity limits set out by the Province of Ontario. The rooftop garden will continue to remain open with a capacity limit of 25 people. The recreation room will reopen as soon as it is safe to do so, and as instructed by EHS. 

COVID-19 Information

Please review the University’s FAQs page which contains regularly updated information for U of T students regarding the University’s responses and actions related to the coronavirus (COVID-19). For information on where to obtain vaccines, please visit: COVID-19 vaccinations | University of Toronto (utoronto.ca). 

Additional Resources

Below are links and contact information for several resources available to you. We understand that this has been a difficult time for all our student families, and we encourage you to reach out to any of the resources below for additional assistance. 

To help the many that are working and studying from home, we have put together an Internet Tip Sheet with best practices and troubleshooting advice for internet-related issues on our blog. We will be publishing the full version of the Tip Sheet, which includes helpful advice for new residents, and an infographic with insights from the Charles Street Internet Survey, in early February. 

If you have any concerns or need support, please consult the following onsite resources: 

Thank you for your ongoing patience as we do our best as a community to navigate through this pandemic. 

Sincerely,  

Gloria Cuneo
Director
University Family Housing 

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