Tips for staying safe in rough area?

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I'm doing home care to help pay my way through nursing school, and some of my assignments are in pretty bad areas of my city. I just accepted a new assignment, 8am-4pm on Sundays, and found out that it's in a notoriously terrible public housing community. I know a girl who used to live there who said that bed bugs, rats, prostitution, drugs, and violence were all common there.

Does anyone have any tips for staying safe when I go to this assignment? I take the bus. Has anyone else been in a situation like this?

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Don't carry cash or important items. No headphones in ears. No phone out. Dont carry a fancy purse or bag. Carry pepper spray. Position yourself near exits in client homes. Typically, no one really bothers you in the daylight hours so just be sure to get out on time

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Thanks, I should have mentioned that I live in Canada and it's illegal to carry anything (pepper spray, knife, etc) for the purpose of self defense

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Walk confidently, don't avoid looking at people. Those are the 2 things I remember a cop told us at a staff meeting.

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FYI: In the United States home health nurses have been reprimanded and fined for bringing a companion for protection in high crime areas.

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