Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force Poverty Task Force

Poverty Task Force/United Way Community Update # 80

Dear Colleagues, 

Can you handle one or two more reports that say you’re tired? That you are COVID19 fatigued? That people are hungry? That people are challenged to keep their jobs? 

  • 13% of people over age 15 and older reported being always or often lonely in Statistic Canada‘s latest report – Loneliness in Canada.
  • Feed Ontario released its Hunger Report 2021.  An overall 10% increase has been seen in the use of the food banks in Ontario. However, less than 1% of clients who accessed food banks were receiving CERB
  • Poverty in the Midst of Plenty A report card on child and family poverty in Ontario, Campaign 2000.   At a basic level, everyone living in poverty has one thing in common: they don’t have enough money. Higher income is the main ingredient in any recipe for ending poverty in Ontario
  • FoodBruceGrey.com shows a 300% increase in the use of community meal programs. Numbers served are not decreasing this winter but we are hitting the maximum capacity of organizations to meet the demand. 
  • Auditor’s General Report 2021:: According to yesterday’s Auditor General report, about 9,600 Ontarians experience ‘visible’ homelessness each night. Throughout the year, that number jumps to 90,000. In reality the number of Ontarians experiencing homelessness is much higher, as 80% experience ‘hidden’ homelessness, sleeping in abandoned buildings or camping under bridges and in remote locations.
  • Service Canada says employees are not eligible for regular benefits, including Employment Insurance, if you are fired because you didn’t follow your employer’s mandatory vaccine policy. This could be a policy your employer chose to make, or one the government said your employer must have.
  • $10/day Child Care: Still no deal between provincial and federal government  on $10/day child care. P2P Huron-Perth shared this article on why it is needed: COVID-19 is Not “Women’s Work”: The Case for Universal Childcare

While the CERB was seen as “doing its job” for a short period of time we know that going into 2022, it is essential that strong income security and affordability solutions need to be implemented. 

Addressing housing affordability is critical to an equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. As well, we need an increase to social assistance rates, amendments to the Employment Standards Act to ensure that employment conditions are safe and secure and that jobs pay a living wage, and ensure that people with lived experience are centered and involved in policy design that directly impacts their lives. 

So what is some good news! 

  • M’Wikwedong IFC Youth Council: are seeking Indigenous Youth in Grey and Bruce Counties to get involved and support Indigenous Youth Voices. Email youthcouncil@mwikwedong.com 
  • Maam Wiim Win Native Homes: Indigenous Housing Support Program renovated a new supportive housing location and housed people in 2 units. M’Wikwedong IFC court worker, addiction support worker and housing support worker will provide support.  
  • Child Activity Assistance Program (CAAP): Bruce County and Grey County support families with an income under $30,000 for cultural, school or sports activities that can’t access Jump Start. 
  • YMCA Employment has an online booking option for meeting with an Employment Advisor, Job Developer, Adult Learning Centre staff and to book computer time. Available for the Owen Sound office as it is a new system, then it will move to other locations. 
  • Employment Services: clients who lose their jobs because they are unvaccinated, may not be eligible for Employment Insurance. Steps to Justice has some information on what to do to determine if this is the case.
  • Ontario Works: If people are not eligible for EI, they can apply for Ontario Works. Ontario Works caseworker can also connect people with additional resources to help at Grey County and Bruce County. The fastest way to apply is online.
  • United Way Financial Literacy Support:can be provided to analyze a person’s financial situation and access income supports.Contact Caroline Araujo-Abbots at advice@unitedwaybg.com or 519-376-1560. 
  • Worker Income Protection Benefit Program: the Ontario government is extending the program which provides paid sick days until July 31, 2022.  
  • Bruce Power: $81,000 worth of grocery gift cards is being distributed to more than 38  community food banks/meals/cupboards and children’s services.  1,500 toboggans went out to the Toy Drive this week. 
  • CFOS Christmas broadcast: 23 local charities will receive funds for Christmas support. 
  • United Way “Thank an Educator” Campaign:  people can sponsor a fully stocked backpack in honour of a special educator. For more information visit www.ThankAnEducator.ca or call 519-376-1560. To learn more about the Backpack Program, please visit www.Backpacks4Kids.ca.
  • Backpack Program: To access the Backpack Program during the school year, please contact the United Way office at 519-376-1560.
  • Bruce County Dorrell Young Fund: provides a gift for children and teenagers whose families are struggling and are served by Bruce County Human Services. To register contact  1-800-265-3005 or 519-881-0431 orHumanServicesAdministrativeSupport@brucecounty.on.ca
  • Food Bruce Grey.com was recognized as one of 3 finalists for their Community Innovation Award of the Pillar Foundation. See the video for the award prepared by Gotham Studios. 
  • Aha Process has released its 5th Edition of Bridges Out of Poverty. There is a new section on Policy Lens. This chapter features new scenarios from Getting Ahead graduates and more in the institutional and community section. 

Stay well, Jill

jillumbach General Information, Media

The Empowerment Plan

This story about an amazing young social entrepreneur who is changing the lives of homeless people in Detroit is wonderful inspiration to encourage everyone to take action on behalf of the over 600,000 people who experience homelessness on any given night in the United States.

Veronika Scott was a fashion student at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit when her teacher, Stephen Schock, challenged her class to create a product that filled a need, rather than satisfying or creating a fad. Veronika’s design was a coat for homeless people that could transform into a sleeping bag, since in her city, she says, “you are constantly faced with the homeless epidemic.”

Not only did her design win a 2011 International Design Excellence Award from the Industrial Designers Society of America, it’s now become the core of Veronika’s nonprofit organization, The Empowerment Plan, which hires people from homeless shelters and transition homes to help her make the coats.

Veronika originally designed the coats seeking input from people at a homeless shelter. After receiving feedback from people who used the prototype over a Detroit winter, she refined the design to create her final version which, in addition to being a waterproof and windproof coat and sleeping bag, also transforms into an over-the-shoulder bag with storage in the arm sockets.

By year’s end, Veronika and her employees at The Empowerment Plan hope to make 600 coats a month to be distributed free of charge to people living on the streets. That’s twice as many as they currently make but the 23-year-old social entrepreneur knows her employees are up to the challenge.

“Everybody told me that my business was going to fail — not because of who I was giving my product to but because of who I was hiring,” Veronika shared. “They said that these homeless women will never make more than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich — you cannot rely on them for anything. And I know my ladies enjoy proving everybody wrong.”

Veronika is also planning to open a sister, for-profit company to sell the coats: after presenting it at Aspen Fashion Week a year ago, people have been asking to buy them as a fashion item. She hopes that the for-profit company (which will also hire employees from shelters and transition homes) will help support their charitable work.

Veronika would also like to show other clothing producers that local manufacturing is possible; as she states, “I think we’re going to show a lot of people: you think it’s outdated to do manufacturing in your neighborhood, but I think it’s something that we have to do in the future, where it’s sustainable, where you invest in people, where they’re not interchangeable parts.”

You can read more about Veronika’s organization on PBS athttp://tinyurl.com/pyk8xmc

or watch a short video about her work athttp://tinyurl.com/qbe5oeq

 

To learn more about The Empowerment Plan or how you can support their work, visit http://www.empowermentplan.org/

 
This story about an amazing young social entrepreneur who is changing the lives of homeless people in Detroit is wonderful inspiration to encourage everyone to take action on behalf of the over 600,000 people who experience homelessness on any given night in the United States. </p> <p>Veronika Scott was a fashion student at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit when her teacher, Stephen Schock, challenged her class to create a product that filled a need, rather than satisfying or creating a fad. Veronika's design was a coat for homeless people that could transform into a sleeping bag, since in her city, she says, “you are constantly faced with the homeless epidemic." </p> <p>Not only did her design win a 2011 International Design Excellence Award from the Industrial Designers Society of America, it’s now become the core of Veronika's nonprofit organization, The Empowerment Plan, which hires people from homeless shelters and transition homes to help her make the coats.</p> <p>Veronika originally designed the coats seeking input from people at a homeless shelter. After receiving feedback from people who used the prototype over a Detroit winter, she refined the design to create her final version which, in addition to being a waterproof and windproof coat and sleeping bag, also transforms into an over-the-shoulder bag with storage in the arm sockets. </p> <p>By year's end, Veronika and her employees at The Empowerment Plan hope to make 600 coats a month to be distributed free of charge to people living on the streets. That’s twice as many as they currently make but the 23-year-old social entrepreneur knows her employees are up to the challenge.</p> <p>“Everybody told me that my business was going to fail -- not because of who I was giving my product to but because of who I was hiring," Veronika shared. "They said that these homeless women will never make more than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich -- you cannot rely on them for anything. And I know my ladies enjoy proving everybody wrong."</p> <p>Veronika is also planning to open a sister, for-profit company to sell the coats: after presenting it at Aspen Fashion Week a year ago, people have been asking to buy them as a fashion item. She hopes that the for-profit company (which will also hire employees from shelters and transition homes) will help support their charitable work. </p> <p>Veronika would also like to show other clothing producers that local manufacturing is possible; as she states, “I think we're going to show a lot of people: you think it's outdated to do manufacturing in your neighborhood, but I think it's something that we have to do in the future, where it's sustainable, where you invest in people, where they're not interchangeable parts.”</p> <p>Kudos to this amazing Mighty Girl for her impressive ingenuity and compassionate spirit! </p> <p>You can read more about Veronika's organization on PBS at http://tinyurl.com/pyk8xmc or watch a short video about her work at http://tinyurl.com/qbe5oeq</p> <p>To learn more about The Empowerment Plan or how you can support their work, visit http://www.empowermentplan.org/</p> <p>For a wonderful book about female inventors throughout history, check out “Girls Think of Everything” for readers 8 to 13 at http://www.amightygirl.com/girls-think-of-everything</p> <p>For Mighty Girl stories about the challenge of being homeless, visit our "Homelessness" section at http://www.amightygirl.com/books/social-issues/homelessness</p> <p>For stories about the value of giving to others, visit our "Generosity/Charity" section at http://www.amightygirl.com/books/personal-development/values?cat=317</p> <p>For those in the US who would like to support efforts to end homelessness, visit the National Alliance to End Homelessness at http://www.naeh.org/ or to find a local homeless shelter to support in your area, visit http://www.homelessshelterdirectory.org/
 
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jillumbach Advocacy, General Information, Media

Ontario Chamber of Commerce: Business to Government: Bring Predictability to Minimum Wage

Posted: 19/09/13

TORONTO, September 11, 2013: Businesses want the Ontario government to adopt a predictable, transparent, and fair process for determining Ontario’s minimum wage, according to a new report released by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC).

The report calls on government to introduce a new process that would link changes in the minimum wage rate to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), an economic indicator that captures changes in the cost of living.

Currently, Ontario’s minimum wage rate is determined by the government on an ad hoc basis and through unspecified criteria. This method results in sudden increases in the minimum wage, and unfairly exposes employers to unanticipated increases in the cost of doing business.

“We’ve considered all the options at Ontario’s disposal,” said Allan O’Dette, President & CEO of the OCC. “Tying the minimum wage to the CPI will bring predictability to the process. It will allow businesses to plan for increases in their labour costs and protect the long-term purchasing power of workers earning minimum wage.”

Though supportive of regular increases to the minimum wage, the group cautions against temporarily adopting a formula that would see rates outpace inflation.

“We’ve seen convincing evidence that major hikes in the minimum wage will have adverse effects on employment levels, particularly among youth and in Ontario’s retail, hospitality, and leisure sectors,” says O’Dette.

The report is based on extensive consultations and surveys with employers from across Ontario. Its release comes as Ontario’s Minimum Wage Advisory Panel begins its consultations in communities across the province.

Read the full report here.

KEY FACTS:

In a recent OCC survey, 60% of employers in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors say that an increase in the minimum wage will hurt their businesses and force them to lay off employees.

Ontario’s minimum wage of $10.25 is above the national average and the highest in the Great Lakes Region.

The minimum wage in Ontario has increased 50 percent over the last 10 years.

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce consulted with over 1,200 of its members from across the province to formulate its position on the minimum wage.

For more information or to schedule an interview, contact:
Neville McGuire
Manager of Communications, Ontario Chamber of Commerce
T: 416.482-5222 ext. 2410
E: nevillemcguire@occ.on.ca

uwbgexecdir Advocacy, General Information

Put Food in the Budget campaign – World Hunger Day on Tuesday May 28

May 31, 2013

The Put Food in the Budget campaign organized a unique event to recognize World Hunger Day on Tuesday May 28.

The Put Food in the Budget campaign has learned over the course of our campaign that hundreds of thousands of people are hungry at every stage of life in Ontario because their income is too low. They don’t have enough money to pay the rent and buy food.

Front line workers from public service unions and student, worker and volunteer associations told an audience of high school students about people they serve that do not have enough income to provide nutritious food to their families.

The over-riding message from these stories is that people in Ontario now can literally be ‘Hungry for Life’. ‘Hungry for life’ has two meanings. Young people in high school are on the brink of beginning their adult lives. We all want our young people to thrive and to be hopeful about the future. We want them to be ‘hungry for life’ – we don’t want them to feel hopeless or to fear the future. In workshops this afternoon we will talk about the reality of poverty in Ontario, and talk about how together we might ‘unveil opportunities for hope’.

Diego, a student in the audience, responded to the panel’s presentation by saying ‘We all need to eat, food is a human right.’

The Ontario government does not have a serious strategy to end poverty in Ontario. The proposed welfare reforms in the recent Ontario budget are neither fundamental nor far-reaching as some would have us believe. The current rates for social assistance and the current minimum wage in Ontario ensure that people in Ontario with low incomes will continue to starve.

Premier Wynne’s proposed welfare reforms are inadequate. Premier Wynne must

‘Put Food in the Budget’ by raising social assistance rates and raising the minimum wage to ensure people have enough money to buy healthy food without relying on food banks.

 

The Toronto Star published two articles on the Put Food in the Budget event.

You can read them here.

Toronto students learn local connection with World Hunger Day –

Toronto high school students get lesson in the politics of hunger