Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force Poverty Task Force

Poverty Task Force/United Way Community Update # 113

Dear Colleagues,

The impact of rising prices on vulnerable people for rent, food, utilities, etc. and our slow recovery from the pandemic are creating the start of a tough year. It means more people are having to make hard decisions about what they can and can’t afford.

Five weeks into the new year, we are all busy with new strategic planning, advocacy for budgets and the release of new studies.  

NEW ADVOCACY/POLICY 

  • Ontario released Pathways to Safety: Ontario’s Strategy in Response to the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
  • How Can We Confront Homelessness in Rural Ontario: is aTVO panel interview held at the recent Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) meeting.  The Institute of Southern Georgian Bay has been looking at social financialization of housing and the Institute’s Marilyn Struthers was part of the panel.  
  • The Ontario Human Rights Commission issued a statement on human rights and access to cold weather services.  The importance of respecting the rights of people experiencing homelessness was reaffirmed by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on January 27, 2023 when it denied the municipality of Waterloo’s request to remove an encampment when there is no adequate indoor shelter space as it would violate the residents’ Charter rights to life, liberty, and security of the person. 
  • Rest Stations for Extreme Weather: 211 provides listings of warming stations available in Bruce County and Grey County. 
  • Short Term Shelter Programs in both Counties have worked hard this winter to ensure that people were sheltered before weather systems hit.  Connections were made with prisons and hospitals to ensure that people were not discharged onto the streets during the extreme weather. They reached out to people living in tents to do wellness checks and offer warmer shelter.  
  • Safe N Sound in partnership with the City of Owen Sound extended their hours, including one extreme weather episode providing all night shelter.  

NEW BUDGETS

INCOME SUPPORT

  • Guaranteed Annual Income System (GAINS): The Ontario government is doubling the GAINS payment for seniors for 12 months beginning January 2023. This measure will increase the maximum GAINS payment to $166 per month for single seniors and to $332 per month for couples, a maximum increase of almost $1,000 per person in 2023.
  • Canada Housing Benefit  The one-time top-up aims to help eligible low-income renters with a tax-free one-time payment of $500. Applications are due by March 31st 2023.
  • Ontario Disability Support Program Earnings Exemption: the government has increased monthly earnings exemption for people with disabilities from $200 to $1,000 effective 1 February 2023 and reflected on March 2023 payment. This will mean that the first $1,000 earned in a month is exempt and will not affect ODSP income support. For each dollar earned above $1,000, the 25 cents is exempt from the calculation of income support. However, the total earnings are based on the household income, not the individual’s income on ODSP. 

NEW FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

  • Community Services Recovery Fund (CSRF): responds to the adaptation and modernization needs of non-profit and charitable organizations facing immediate and long-term impacts of the pandemic as they continue to support communities.The deadline to apply is February 21st at 5:00pm. Find out if your organization is eligible and how to apply here. 
  • An online CSRF Q & A Session for Grey Bruce community service organizations applying to the Community Services Recovery Fund is happening on February 9 from 4 – 5 pm. Register here.
  • 2023 Emergency Food Access Grant: as food banks struggle with the urgent and increasing need of their communities, Food Banks Canada has a new fund ($2M in funding). Application deadline is February 19th, 2023. For eligibility or apply here:

NEW RESEARCH 

  • Bruce County Housing Demographic Study: has been released and the link to the Committee item is available at Human Services Committee – February 02, 2023 (escribemeetings.com). 
  • Re-engaging Retreated Workers: After analyzing the participation rates in the Stratford-Bruce Peninsula Economic Region it was noted that 6,000 workers retreated from the workforce in March of 2020 and were no longer participating in the workforce. With close to 90% of the available workforce between the ages of 25 – 54 (Labour Force Survey 2021 Custom Data Purchase) already participating it is more important than ever to re-engage the workers who have retreated. This report by the Four County Labour Market Planning Board looks at challenges to re-engaging workers in the region. 
  • RentSafe’s new suite of resources on mould aims to support proactive and coordinated action to address one of the most pressing habitability concerns in rental housing. RentSafe baseline research found that dampness and mould is one of the most common health concerns in rental housing. 

HOUSING SUPPORT 

NEW SURVEYS/STUDIES

  • Bruce County Strategic Public Engagement: is underway and seeking initial ideas.  Please submit your initial ideas online through the Bruce County 2023-2026 Strategic Plan Public Engagement Survey by Friday, February 10, 2023.
  • Grey Bruce Health Services Addiction Treatment Services: have released 3 new surveys. Community Addiction Treatment (CATS) Services, Withdrawal Management Services (WMS), and WMS survey for friends and family seeking feedback on program and service needs. CATS survey, WMS survey and WMS Survey for Friends/Family. 
  • City of Owen Sound Community Garden Policy Input: closed on 30 January 2023 with input from Grey Bruce Community Garden Network Coordinator. A feedback report will be presented at the February 15th Community Services Committee. This is the first of its kind in Grey Bruce and sets a good framework for other municipalities/towns and cities. 
  • Seniors Home Share:   Bruce County Housing to undertake a local  feasibility study with York University. The team from York University is carrying a literature review/best practices analysis and carrying out key informant interviews/focus group discussions. The study results are expected to be released in March 2023. Contact Matt Meade, mmeade@brucecounty.on.ca, for further info.  
  • West Grey Public Library Children & Youth Service:  Click here to provide input to the programs for kids and teens in West Grey. Contact Kayla, 519-369-2107,   kids@westgreylibrary.com.

FOOD SUPPORT

  • Grey Bruce Foodrescue: nearly 60% of food produced in Canada is lost or wasted each year according to Second Harvest.  1/3 of that waste is still edible, yet it goes to landfills instead of to those who could use it. 
  • No Frills Owen Sound and Foodland Markdale have been added to the program.  OSHaRE continues to be a central hub for pick up, sorting and making surplus food available to community agencies. For more info contact Colleen Seaman, info@oshare.ca or 519-377-7460. 

TRANSPORTATION

  • Grey Transit Route (GTR): route changes have been affected by budget and the Flesherton to Hanover/Walkerton route will be canceled in April 2023.  
  • Student Travel: students at Georgian College’s Owen Sound Campus will be able to access free GTR during the winter semester.  This will help them getting to and from campus as well as to employment and field placements, co-ops or practicums.

The next Poverty Task Force meeting shall be on Friday, February 17th.  

Stay well, Jill 

Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force Poverty Task Force

Poverty Task Force/United Way Community Update # 21

Dear Colleagues, 

Be kind!” is the message coming from the Grey Bruce Health Unit this week as we move to Stage 3 of reopening and the mandatory use of masks.  I have attached a few new posters created by the Grey Bruce Health Unit Communications Team regarding masks. #strongertogetherGB

  • Concerned about what ‘reopening’ means for area charities and non-profits? Have questions? Want answers?  There will be a moderated Q & A call with Dr. Arra for Not-for-Profits and Charity organizations on July 28th, 1:30-3:00pm in which Dr. Arra.    
  • Please register here and ask your burning questions in advance!  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CWWGW3R

A morning smile is the announcement by the Ontario government of proposed  changes that would provide additional protection for payday loan borrowers by capping interest rates and fees on defaulted loans, ensuring that workers and families who use payday loan services can keep more of their hard-earned money. The changes were included in the COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act, 2020 and will be amendments to the Payday Loans Act, 2008. 

  • Lenders would not be permitted to charge interest in excess of 2.5 per cent per month (non-compounded), providing rate relief to borrowers unable to repay their loans on time.  
  • A maximum fee of $25 that may be charged by lenders for dishonoured or bounced cheques or pre-authorized debits.  

INCOME SUPPORTS

  • ODSP will send information about CERB reporting and how it will impact ODSP monthly payments to all ODSP recipients who reported CERB. Income from CERB is treated similarly to how earnings are treated under ODSP. The amount of the CERB that is deducted from ODSP depends on the situation of the person receiving it. For individuals under 18 or in full-time secondary or postsecondary school, CERB is fully exempt, meaning that it does not get deducted from ODSP payments. For everyone else, the CERB is partially exempt: The first $200 received in a month is fully exempt and a 50 per cent exemption will apply for each additional dollar, no matter the total amount of CERB payments collected.
  • ODSP Grey Bruce’s hours are changing: effective August 4, 2020, service delivery hours will return to regular hours of 8:30am-5:00pm, from the current hours of 10:00 am– 2:00pm. 
  • This is not a return to regular client services.  Existing health and safety measures related to COVID-19 continue to be followed. Clients will continue to be served via secure methods such as over the phone, via intercom and in secure rooms. They will limit the number of face to face interactions with clients to where it is necessary to ensure client service.
  • A new report by Statistics Canada outlines how the pandemic has disproportionately impacted Indigenous respondents. 36% of Indigenous respondents reported that the pandemic had a “strong or moderate” impact on their ability to pay for essentials while 25% of non-indigenous respondents reported the same. Despite experiencing higher levels of hardship, fewer indigenous respondents reported applying for government support. 
  • Recent polling by the Native Women’s Association of Canada found that Indigenous women are experiencing greater financial difficulties (46%) than other Canadians (34%) and the financial impact of COVID-19 closely correlated to rates of domestic violence against Indigenous women.
  • The Senate Finance Committee urged the Federal Government to work with Provincial, Territorial, and Indigenous Governments to “give full, fair and priority consideration” to a Basic Income in their COVID-19 Relief in times of Crisis report.

HOUSING SUPPORTS

  • A recent article from the Canadian Medical Association Journal takes an equity-informed perspective on emerging trends and interventions to reduce the impact of COVID on those experiencing homelessness. 

Recently, Tamarack hosted a cross-country rural communities and housing discussion and some of the highlights of the discussion were:

  • Funding – Emergency funding for sheltering people experiencing homelessness during the pandemic has demonstrated how quickly things can change when there is political will. Once funding for COVID-19 is gone, the solutions that were developed will likely not be sustainable. 
  • Short-term solutions – Many who were homeless prior to the pandemic are now being temporarily housed in hotels and motels. While there have been some benefits to this intervention, there is widespread recognition that this is a short-term solution and not permanent housing. There are concerns about long-term availability at motels/hotels as communities open up for tourism and concerns around how long government funding will last. 
  • Wrap around services – Food delivery programs, transportation assistance, internet and cell phone distribution, wellness checks, and mental health and addictions support have been an important element that has been coupled with housing responses during the pandemic. 
  • Housing supply – Lack of affordable housing stock in rural communities continues to be a major barrier in providing long-term solutions, even when funding is available for wrap around services such as mental health supports. 
  • Collaboration – Partnerships around housing and homelessness have improved since the onset of the pandemic. There is hope these new collaborations will be sustained into the future. 
  • Data – There is a need for more data to get an accurate picture of housing and homelessness in rural communities. Point-in-time counts prior to the pandemic may no longer be accurate. 
  • Recovery planning – Housing is not seen as a key focus of most COVID-19 recovery plans. Members are seeing plans being developed at provincial and federal levels rather than local or regional levels.

In Grey County and Bruce County, housing and homelessness remain important priorities.  A July 9th, 2020 report to Council reported on the County’s work, partnerships and next steps. The full report is attached. 


Stay well, Jill 

Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force Housing Action Group, Poverty Task Force, Research

Rural Homeless Enumeration 2018

full length of man sitting outdoors

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

In April of 2018, Bruce County and Grey County each conducted a homelessness enumeration using a Period Prevalence Count (PPC) methodology in their respective counties.

The problem of homelessness is most often associated with urban communities, however, a growing body of research over the past 15 years has shown that the problem is also prevalent in rural Canada. The size and the dynamics of the problem in these rural areas is still largely unknown, in part because of unique problems that
rural areas pose for data collection. Rural areas often have fewer services geared towards people experiencing homelessness and the services that are available often serve a large geographical region.

A recent study conducted in rural and northern Ontario found that only 32 percent of service providers in these regions are able to keep ongoing records of their at-risk and homeless populations. This problem is compounded by the fact that rural areas tend to have smaller populations spread out over relatively large geographic regions, making it more difficult to locate those who sleep rough or stay in unsafe dwellings.

The homelessness enumeration was the first of its kind to be conducted in Bruce County and Grey County – the result of a mandate set by the provincial government in 2016 with the passage of the Promoting Affordable Housing Act and the commitment to end chronic homelessness by 2025.

Beginning in 2018, all Ontario municipalities are required to conduct a homeless enumeration every two years with the goals of:

  • Improving community awareness and understanding of homelessness;
  • Helping to monitor and assess developing trends over time;
  • Providing a method through which to measure progress; and
  • Strengthening efforts to end homelessness.

The Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force Housing Action Group identified organizations across the two counties that work with people experiencing homelessness as hub sites where enumerators would be located to conduct surveys. Front line social service workers were provided enumeration training on the survey tool, empathy training and information on services/programs available for people experiencing homelessness.

Results

Bruce County: over the course of the enumeration week, a total of 17 individuals experiencing homelessness were counted in Bruce County. Eleven of them completed questionnaires.  Read more in the full report: 2018 Homeless Enumeration – Bruce County.

Grey County: over the course of the week 33 individuals identified as experiencing homelessness and 29 completed the survey.  Read more in the full report to council.

Next Steps

The results are large enough to demonstrate homelessness exists in Grey County and Bruce County. Although the results presented are not generalizable to both counties’ population, they are sufficient to demonstrate that homelessness is a socioeconomic problem in Bruce County and Grey County.  The results suggests avenues for further study, particularly in regards to youth and seniors’ homelessness.

These results will be used in the consultation sessions for the update to Bruce County’s Long-Term Housing Strategy and Grey County’s 10 Year Housing and Homelessness Plan.