Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force Advocacy, Community Updates, Income Security

Poverty Task Force/United Way Community Update # 211

There has been a lot of work happening over the Summer of 2024. And while we may think that we are constantly “holding the line” or “trying to keep people from dying”, the work has not gone unnoticed. We want to recognize all our partners who are on the frontlines of saving lives, feeding the hungry and keeping people housed.

The deepening homelessness and opioid crisis has been on every agenda and will continue to be so as rates of poverty and homelessness increases. We need leadership from all sectors and all levels of government to work together with all social sectors to address the issues.

MUNICIPAL ENGAGEMENT 

INCOME SECURITY UPDATES

Four key takeaways:

  • Deep inadequacy: In 2023, welfare incomes remained deeply inadequate. 55 out of 56 (98%) of households were in poverty, with 40 of them (71%) living in deep poverty.
  • Federal contribution: Despite the need, the federal government’s support for households receiving social assistance remained minimal.
  • Cost-of-living impact: The expiration of temporary cost-of-living-related payments in 2023 negatively affected households.
  • Growing gap: Income support investments varied across jurisdictions. Some made improvements, while others lagged.

FOOD SECURITY UPDATES

  • Food insecurity continues to grow in our region. Since January 2020 to the end of August 2024, Grey Bruce community meal programs have reported over 800,000 meals were distributed. 115,000 meals were distributed in 2023.  All Dashboards | Food Bruce Grey
  • OSHaRE Community Meal Program:  17,000 meals were distributed in the month of July 2024 and 17,500 meals in August 2024 compared to 20,000 meals distributed over the whole year in 2020. In 2024, OSHaRE  shared 146,625 meals with the community. 
  • Family Assist Market (FAM): is held bi-weekly at OSHaRE/Owen Sound. It has grown from 4 families to 80 families since its startup in June 2024. The FAM provides access to community support services with multiple agencies as well as food hampers (Good Food Box/The Salvation Army) and large family size meals from OSHaRE. 
  • Grey Bruce Good Food Box: has released a new flyer for the Fall season. Hanover GFB has a new host organization at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church. Chatsworth GFB is amalgamating with Owen Sound GFB. Orders and pickup can be made through Owen Sound GFB at OSHARE. Good Food Box – United Way of Bruce Grey
  • Feed Ontario: has released 2024 Hunger Report saw a 25% increase in food bank visits over last year.   https://feedontario.ca/news/ontarians-are-drowning-amid-surging-affordability-crisis/  Feed Ontario has the latest food bank usage data for each municipality at: Hunger in my Riding – Feed Ontario
  • National School Food Policy: describes the long-term vision for school food programs in Canada, as well as the guiding principles and objectives that will help make this vision a reality. It lays the groundwork for a future where all children can have access to nutritious school meals.   Newfoundland and Labrador has become the first province in Canada to sign on to the federal government’s school food program.  4624-National_School_Food_Policy-E.pdf (canada.ca)

HOUSING SECURITY UPDATES

Thanks to Pam Hanington for pulling together these latest Housing Reports. 

Stay well, Jill

Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force Poverty Task Force

Summer Resources – Poverty Task Force/United Way Community Update # 210

Dear Colleagues, 

Summer heat has exploded, and school will soon be out for the summer.   We have pulled together some resources for individuals and families. 

COOLING STATIONS

Heat Warning: Environment & Climate Change Canada has issued a heat warning for southern Ontario, including Grey-Bruce.

Cooling Stations are open in Grey County and Bruce County. Contact 211 for the latest listing in your community. 

Grey Bruce Public Health has Extreme Heat resources on their website.

Safe N Sound: has created a list of needs for their center to keep people cool and prevent heat stroke. They are a designated cooling station.  Other locations may also need similar items to help keep people cool.

FOOD SUPPORTS 

Grey Bruce Good Food Box: locations will be running through the summer/year-round – Ayton, Chesley, Kincardine/Ripley/Tiverton, Lucknow, Markdale, Owen Sound, Port Elgin, and Sauble Beach. https://unitedwayofbrucegrey.com/good-food-box/

Family Assistance Market: OSHaRE is hosting a bi-weekly drop-in market for families. Food supports will be provided from OSHaRE, The Salvation Army OS and the Good Food Box to provide more than daily food, but large amounts for families to get through the week.  

Summer Lunches for Children and Youth: there is a variety of summer lunches for children and youth in communities across Grey Bruce. A few but not all are listed on 211 but many are posted on Facebook and shared out in their local community.  Please let 211 know about your summer food programs!  

Grey Bruce Food Banks and Community Meal Programs: will be open throughout the summer and most are listed on 211.   

Free Food Listing for Owen Sound: the United Way has compiled a list of free food services in Owen Sound on 211.

SUMMER ACTIVITY SUPPORTS

Bruce County – Child Activity Assistance Program (CAAP): is a fund available to assist families with the cost of activities. Includes funding for school trips, school nutrition programs, extra-curricular activities, arts and cultural programs, Scouts/Girl Guides, and many more. Bruce County families with a gross income of less than $49,466 can access this program for their dependent children under the age of 18, and receive up to $500 per child, per year. There is a fillable application form at https://www.brucecounty.on.ca/services/human-services/child-activity-assistance-program or call 1-800-265-3022 for more information.

Grey County – Social Initiatives Funding (Recreation Subsidy): is administered by the YMCA of Owen Sound Grey Bruce. It can be used for sports, art, music or drama programs, swimming lessons, camps, and fitness memberships. Activities do not have to be done with the YMCA. Families with incomes of less than $70,000 having children under the age of 18 living with them on a regular basis can apply. There is a scale for how much per child per calendar year the family can receive. See the link for more information and application: . You can also call the YMCA at 519-376-0484 ext. 227 or email socialinitiatives@osgb.ymca.ca.

Municipal Recreation Funds: some municipalities offer support. Call 211 or visit Bruce Grey Community Info to find out if your municipality has a fund.

JumpStart: Canadian Tire has individual child grants and special initiatives for girls. Online applications are here:  https://jumpstart.canadiantire.ca/pages/individual-child-grants 

Grey Transit Route 5 offers summer service to Sauble Beach. The route runs several times daily between Owen Sound, Wiarton, and Sauble Beach – including long weekends! All GTR routes are FREE on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the summer. Find more info and book rides at https://www.grey.ca/grey-transit-route

Girls Empowerment Summer Camp: Women’s House is offering this camp for girls aged 11-16, August 19th-22nd, Durham.  For more details and registration go to: https://www.facebook.com/WomensHouseBG

Stay cool,  Jill 

Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force Poverty Task Force

Poverty Task Force/United Way Community Update # 59

Dear Colleagues, 

Today many of us have joined the Tamarack Institute’s End of Poverty AGM. Over 70 communities across Canada have come together (700 adults/92 people with lived experience and 350 youth). The conference is using an interactive Howspace digital platform. Check it out! It is very dynamic. 

  • Tamarack officially launched their new name – shifting from “Cities Reducing Poverty” to “Communities Ending Poverty”.  This recognizes the work being down in rural communities as well as cities. 
  • Mayor Naheed Nenshi, City of Calgary was the keynote speaker. He leads Calgary’s Enough for All poverty reduction strategy and roundtable. Their motto is “My neighbours’ strength is my strength. My neighbours’ success is my success. My neighbours’ failure is my failure.”  Mayor Nenshi spoke to the fact that we are “all in the same storm, but we are not all in the same boat”.
    • Women, people living in racialized communities and in poverty are hardest hit by COVID. 
    • People living in poverty are at higher risk to COVID. 
    • The pandemic has widened the income gap.  
  • People with Lived Experience Perspective: a video was featured which included members of our Community Voices. 
  • Rural Communities reducing poverty workshop: our Indigenous-led Giiwe Circles team of Diane Giroux, M’Wikwedong IFC and Carlos Sanchez-Pimienta, Queen’s University gave a powerful presentation on its trasformative model.
    • Giiwe gave a strong message that we need to invest more in relationships and building trust if we are to address reconciliation issues, and Indigenous homelessness.  
    • Giiwe creates a safe space to discuss very uncomfortable and sometimes “messy and slow” issues.  But if we stay with those feelings we can transform how we work and be more successful in the work we do; and more importantly in improving Indigenous peoples’ lives. 

Yesterday, we took time to recognize Missing and Murdered Indigneous Women and join the Calls for Justice.  

  • Human rights and Indigenous rights abuses and violations condoned by the  Canadian government have resulted in the denial of safety, security and human dignity. They are the root causes of the violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA. 
  • The Calls for Justice come from the National Enquiry –  Reclaiming Power and Place and call upon all Canadians and sectors to end systemic violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA. 

 FOOD SECURITY

  • Food Secure Canada has released its comments on the Federal Budget 2021. 
  • Meals2Motels: is a partnership to provide meals (hot and frozen) to individuals and families sheltering in motels (Owen Sound and Chatsworth). 
    • 92,840 meals have been delivered in the last year.
    • January 2021 was the busiest month with over 1,200 meals delivered. February was the largest single week with 370 meals delivered.  
    • 252 hampers with multi-purpose kettles were created and all but 39 pre-positioned/distributed at motels. 
    • On Fridays the people receive Friday’s supper (hot), Saturday lunch supper (cold) Sunday lunch and supper (frozen). 
    • On Mondays United Way staff make an extra run with a Monday lunch.
  • Many partners deliver this program – the YMCA Housing, M’Wikwedong and the Women’s Centre shelter people in motels and maintain a daily number. OSHaRE cooks and assembles meals, along with frozen meals prepared by the St Aiden’s Frozen Meal program. Habitat for Humanity (Apr to Nov 2020) and the United Way (Nov to now) deliver the food daily. 
  • Grey County funds the daily mileage cost and staffing costs have been covered by the partner organizations. 
  • For more information on this initiative: United Way of Bruce Grey 519-376-1560, Y-Housing Joan Chamney, 519-371-9230, OSHaRE Colleen Trask- Seaman, 519-376-3899. 
  • Good Food Box:  Hanover Good Food Box started up at John Diefenbaker Secondary School led by Dawn MacKay (dawn_mackay@bwdsb.on.ca). With the school closed they are working in partnership with the Salvation Army Hanover to provide a location. (see attached poster).    
  • The Sponsored Box program is underway. Agencies and community donations can pre-pay for boxes. When sponsored boxes are purchased, tokens are distributed. Tokens may be used by customers at any GFB location but they must submit their tokens in advance of pickup.  
  • Agencies interested in purchasing tokens or receiving community donations for their clients may contact gbgoodfoodbox@gmail.com. 
  • Donations to purchase Good Food Box tokens for households in need can be made through OSHaRE (gbgoodfoodbox@gmail.com). A $200 donation will provide a household with a monthly Good Food Box for 1 year. 

HEALTH EQUITY 

  • Frontline organizations in Ontario will soon have access to free, rapid, self-administered COVID-19 screening tests through a new program called Stop the Spread and Stay Safe. The program, run by the Canadian Red Cross in partnership with the Government of Canada, is now accepting pre-registration from organizations in Ontario. 
  • To qualify, organizations must be a charity or non-profit, or an Indigenous community organizations with five (5) personnel (staff and volunteers) who work in close proximity to each other or have direct contact with community members.

YOUTH AND MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTS

  • Sick Kids-led study (Feb 2021) found more than 70% of children aged 2 to 18 years expressed feeling lonely, overwhelmed, sleepless, worried, sad, irritable, anxious or stressed during the first wave, with isolation posing a significant risk factor.
  • Education Minister Stephen Lecce is set to announce an $80 million fund for school boards to hire up to 1,000 additional mental health workers for the next two years. 
  • Tamarack has been supporting youth outcomes through its Youth Futures Initiative.  Tamarack Institute and the Government of Canada, through the Goal Getters program, have committed to a 5-year pan-Canadian project to develop collective impact and system-wide solutions for youth as they build and act upon plans for their future   

Stay well, Jill 

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