Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force Poverty Task Force

Poverty Task Force/United Way Community Update #100

Dear Colleagues, 

You are invited to take part in gatherings across the region on August 31st to mark International Overdose Awareness Day. Everyone is encouraged to take part. This is a day to stand in solidarity with those who have lost loved ones while we acknowledge our collective grief and begin to heal together.

  • Grey Bruce IOAD events: many organizations are holding space on this day – M’Wikwedong NCFC, Safe n’ Sound, Peer Advisory Committee, Sasha and Jane Plant, Chippewas of Nawash First Nation Health and Wellness Centre, and Grey Bruce Health Services.  (See the poster for details of events). For more information, please visit website www.drugstrategy.org.
  • Opioid Alerts: the Grey Bruce Health Unit issued a 3rd Opioid Alert to system partners in the month of August, after receiving reports of 5 drug overdoses in the area within a 5 day period. 
  • Newly released data shows that opioids killed more people in Ontario in the 2nd year of the pandemic. Based on Owen Sound Police Service records, overdose deaths followed a similar trend (3 in 2019, 8 in 2020, 14 in 2021, 3 in 2022 YTD) in the city.  
  • Statistics Canada has released the 2021 Census Data for our region. 
  • Social Assistance Summaries 2021 have been released by Maytree. Go to the direct link for Ontario Summary .A recent TVO.org report reveals that the Ontario government has reduced spending on social assistance by $814 million dollars.  We have been advocating for an increase in social assistance rates and more investment in the program
  • Also from Maytree: Why we need to care about single adults living in poverty.

UPCOMING CONFERENCES/SUMMITS

HOUSING SUPPORT 

  • New Saugeen Shores Housing Policy: previously, affordable rental units (ARUs) were referred to as Secondary Dwelling Units, since only one could be added to a property. Now, up to three (3) ARUs are allowed per property, including two (2) within the main building and one (1) within an accessory building or structure. 
  • Westario Power LEAP has been exhausted for 2022. No new applications for LEAP are being accepted. However, Bruce County residents are still able to apply for assistance with their utility arrears by completing a Housing Stability Fund application. Here is the link for the online application: https://chpi.brucecounty.on.ca/application/create. There are also programs in the other areas where Westario Power has customers, that may be able to assist people with their utility arrears. Contact 211 for information on how to apply for programs in these areas.
  • Grey County 14th Street Housing: has moved forward and expects to have the new build completed by April 2023. This supportive housing project is key in providing individuals from the By-Name List the opportunity to move to a supported living environment to learn skills, engage in community support and develop relationships. Read the report to the Grey County Council. 

HEALTH EQUITY SUPPORT

  • Owen Sound Sexual Health Clinic: the Grey Bruce Health Unit has reopened. The clinic is open to everyone, but focuses on those who are unable to access sexual health services through their primary health care provider. The clinic is open on Wednesdays, 9am-3pm by appointment at the Health Unit (101 17th Street East, Owen Sound). Call 519-376-9420 ext 1256. 
  • ER Wait Times and Closures in Chesley and Walkerton: wait times for hospital admission are at record high in Ontario and we are seeing more closures locally. Most recently Chesley and Walkerton announced weekend closures. Hospitals are reporting that staff shortages will make it “very challenging” to maintain 24-hour emergency department hours in the four South Bruce Grey Health Centre hospitals this fall. 

FOOD SUPPORT 

TRANSPORTATION SUPPORT

  • Guelph Owen Sound Transit (GOST): has an interim fleet of new, fully accessible buses.  A new technology that allows customers to see real-time bus locations along routes and predict when buses will arrive at any selected stop will be installed on the buses later this fall.  The permanent fleet of new low-floor, ramp-equipped buses are expected to arrive in the Spring of 2023 and will be equipped with bicycle racks in readiness for the summer season.
  • For mobility transit users, Voyago will begin booking mobility transit rides on Friday, August 26, 2022  at (519) 671-7168. 
  • For more information on the City of Owen Sound’s transit service, including hours of operation, rates, and route maps, visit www.owensound.ca/transit.
  • For more information, please contact Rick Chappell, Supervisor of Environmental Services, at 519-376-4440 ext.1226 or email rchappell@owensound.ca.

Stay well, Jill