Impact of LAC's reduced opening hours

The papers to support LAC's Services Advisory Board deliberations on Friday arrived on Tuesday. The most interesting examines the impacts recent changes to service hours have had on visit patterns at 395 Wellington according to the "log books" used to record the arrival and departure of clients.

Overall it appears the number of daily visits declined by about 7% in September as a result of the reduction in hours. A large part is the result of fewer visits between 8am and 10am on weekdays, with a slight increase in the next hour. There are also substantially fewer people in the building in the late afternoon.

Could it be a coincidence that it is just the hours where LAC Service Staff are no longer available that have seen the biggest decreases? By contrast, the reinstatement of weekday late evening and weekend morning unstaffed hours caters to only a small number of visitors.

My hypothesis is that it is lack of access to support services, especially the ability to order and receive materials, that is responsible for the reductions in number of clients in the shoulder hours, and not so much the lack of professional consultation services.

Do you agree? All observations welcome.