Task Force Blog

Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force Poverty Task Force

Poverty Task Force/United Way Community Update #203

Dear Colleagues,

The end of each year is always a time of reflection on our collaboration as partners at the Poverty Task Force table.  We have been examining game changers, our collective action to address poverty locally in several sectors – housing, income, employment, health equity, diversity & inclusion; food – and examining our structure, sustainability, and leadership to tackle poverty reduction in 2023.

“The state of poverty in Canada looks worse than pre-pandemic. Canada’s poverty indicators (2019-2020) were following a 5-year downward trend.  Due to pandemic benefits Canada met its antipoverty targets and then “unmade” them a year later. However, advances in government policy, systems change, local capacity building, and innovation have kept many people out of poverty but haven’t been able to keep pace with the ripple effects of COVID-19 and inflation over the last 3 years.” Source: Communities-Ending-Poverty-Impact-Report_A-Deep-Dive-into-2022.pdf (povertytaskforce.com)

The Poverty Task Force Annual Report 2023 shall be released in January/February 2024 after more reflection and discussions with partners.

FOOD SUPPORTS

  • Call 2-1-1 to find community programs that provide holiday meals or hamper programs for the holidays. Registration lists can fill up fast.
  • Good Food Box: Grey Bruce Good Food Box 211 List
    • A total of 15,313 boxes were distributed (Jan – mid-Nov 2023) in 22 communities.
    • Kincardine Good Food Box is expanding to now serve Kincardine, Ripley and Tiverton. 
  • Food Bruce Grey data reflects the state of hunger and emergency response in Grey Bruce. All Dashboards | Food Bruce Grey
  • 122,952 community meals (Jan – Oct 2023), 2 out of 13 programs.
  • 99,110.71 kilograms of food diverted through Food Rescue to 20 out of 44 community social organizations (Jan – Oct 2023)
  • 130,219 kilograms of food distributed through Food Banks to 9,528 households; $9,534 gift cards distributed by Food Banks (Jan – Oct 2023), 13 out of 22 organizations.
  • 5,443 kilograms of fresh food produce distributed (Feb – Oct 2023)
  • 1,491 kilograms of fresh food produce from community gardens. (May – Sept 2023)

HEALTH EQUITY SUPPORT

  • Canadian Dental Care Plan: has expanded to cover kids under 18 and some seniors in 2024.  It is expected to expand the program to all eligible low- and middle-income Canadians in 2025.
    • Applications for seniors aged 87 and over will open in late December 2023.
    • To be eligible for the program, a person must have a household income below $90,000 and no access to an existing private insurance plan.
  • Menstrual Equity Fund Pilot:  Food Banks Canada received $17.9 M to provide period products to members of marginalized low-income communities through local partners. Menstrual Equity Fund Pilot – Women and Gender Equality Canada
    • A Women and Gender Equality Survey was completed in 2022-2023. Among respondents to the WAGE-led survey, 61% have unmet requests for menstrual products. Of these, 90% indicated that the unmet demand was due to a lack of funding.  Read the full results in What We Heard Report.
  • 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline: a new 24/7/365 three-digit service. The service offers trauma-informed and culturally affirming support to anyone who is thinking of suicide, or who is worried about someone they know. For more information, visit https://988.ca

INCOME SUPPORT

  • Child Care Workforce: the provincial government announced it is increasing wages to Registered Early Childhood Educators (RECEs) and delivering a multipronged strategy to recruit and retain qualified educators. Ontario Announces Comprehensive Strategy to Boost Child Care Workforce and Protect Children | Ontario Newsroom
  • Finance Assistance for Veterans: the Ontario Soldiers’ Aid Commission can provide up to $2,000/year to Veterans and their eligible family members in financial need. Soldiers’ Aid Commission | ontario.ca
    • It can help pay for essentials including: Securing or maintaining housing, Specialized equipment and assistive devices, Health-related items and services, Personal items and basic needs support; and Employment support.  
    • Funding is in addition to any financial assistance from OW or ODSP. It will not impact eligibility for social assistance or monthly payment.
  • New Disability Benefits Compass: Prosper Canada has released a new tool Disability Benefits Compass (benefitswayfinder.org)

 HOUSING SUPPORTS

  • Grey Bruce By-Names List/Coordinated Access (7 Dec 2023): 
    • 258 people are actively experiencing homelessness
    • 164 are actively experiencing chronic homelessness
    • 42 (youth), 47 (Indigenous), 52 are reportedly sleeping rough most frequently
  • The Winter Disconnection Ban:  electricity and gas distributors are banned from disconnecting residential customers for non-payment from November 15 to April 30. Electricity and gas distributors had until December 1 to reconnect residential customers who were disconnected for non-payment before November 15.
    • Electricity distributors may not install load control devices (devices that limit how much electricity is supplied to a home) on homes from November 15 to April 30.
    • Electricity and gas distributors can continue to charge late payment fees on past due amounts during the winter disconnection ban period.
    • It is the clients’ responsibility to pay their electricity or natural gas bill on time.
    • It is recommended to make regular payments throughout the ban.
    • If a bill can’t be paid in full, the most important thing to do is to stay in contact with the electricity or gas distributor, make payment arrangements or seek financial assistance.  
  • RentSafe EquIP: a second research paper has been published on inter-sectoral collaboration and designing ways to re-think problems. It-doesnt-happen-any-other-way_relationship-building-and-reflexivity-for-equity-focused-intersectoral-practice-EquIP.pdf (povertytaskforce.com)
  • Bringing Affordable Housing Home/United Way:  a new Call to Action/Add Your Voice function has been added to the United Way Greater Toronto website.  Individuals can send an email to their local elected officials and relevant Ministers to express their support for the recommendations and urge action. Please consider sharing the advocacy paper and the link: Bringing Affordable Housing Home_Call to Action

Stay well, Jill

Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force Poverty Task Force

Bringing Affordable Housing Home

There is no single solution to the affordable housing crisis. But there are 7 high-impact ways governments and the nonprofit sector can work together to advance housing stability for all in Ontario.

Addressing the affordable housing crisis means pushing from all sides and leveraging all of the tools we have at hand — including land and assets, investments, incentives, preservation measures, supports and protections, collaboration and partnerships.

In collaboration with nonprofit sector partners, United Ways across Ontario have facilitated a province-wide sector engagement to identify the concrete steps needed to actualize the full potential of the sector to partner with government, and the private sector, to grow housing stability in the province. Almost 400 non-profit leaders across Ontario participated in this initiative, bringing their experience and expertise on nonprofit, emergency, shelter, and transitional housing; tenant legal support services; immigration and settlement services; financial and wrap around supports; mental health and addictions; and food security.

Bringing Affordable Housing Home: An Action Plan for Housing Stability in Ontario

Recommendation 1: Land and Assets 

Federal, provincial, and municipal governments make surplus lands and assets available to non-profit and co-operative housing providers to grow deeply affordable and supportive housing options across Ontario. 
 

Recommendation 2: Investments 

Federal, provincial, and municipal governments increase investment in and improve greater access to financing for the development of affordable and deeply affordable homes across Ontario. 
 

Recommendation 3: Incentives 

The provincial government, in partnership with municipal governments, provides development incentives that prioritize non-profit housing organizations and establishes flexible programs that maximize the community housing sector’s capacity to compete in the housing market effectively. 

Recommendation 4: Preservation 

The provincial government, in partnership with federal and municipal governments, provides consistent and predictable long-term funding to preserve existing deeply affordable housing and supportive housing options offered by the community housing sector. 

Recommendation 5: Supports and Protections 

All levels of government provide housing stabilization and eviction prevention supports and strengthen tenant protections to help renters access and maintain affordable and secure homes. 

Recommendation 6: Indigenous Housing 

The federal and provincial governments address and prioritize persistent housing and homelessness challenges faced by Indigenous Peoples through a dedicated strategy, programs and supports developed and implemented in partnership with Indigenous leaders, diverse Indigenous communities, housing providers, and all levels of government. 

Recommendation 7: Collaboration and Partnerships 

The federal and provincial governments coordinate housing strategies, plans and programs with municipal governments while promoting cross-sector collaboration and resource sharing. 

You can view the PDF document through this link

You can learn more at the United Way of Greater Toronto’s page here

Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force Poverty Task Force

News Release: Bruce Grey’s Living Wage increases by 9.6% for 2023 to $22.75/hour

6 November 2023

Living Wage: The living wage is what a worker needs to earn, per hour, at 35 hours per week, in order to make ends meet where they live.

How is the Living Wage calculated?

We look at major expenses that workers face such as shelter costs, transportation, childcare, and food. We also take into account other expenses such as internet access, a modest annual vacation, and clothing. Any applicable government taxes, transfers, and benefits are factored in as well, and what we get is an hourly wage that a worker must earn in order to make ends meet where they live.

For Bruce Grey, 3 demographic profiles were used to generate the standardized Living Wage for Bruce Grey:

  • Single person: $23.01
  • Single parent with 2 children: $27.20
  • 2 parents, 2 children: $22 .00 for both parents

“The most significant driver for the increase has been the cost of housing and the lack of local employment transportation. The recent inflationary issues for food and other consumable costs also has had a significant impact upon the calculation” explains Executive Director Francesca Dobbyn. “This is the bottom, this is the barely making a budget work Living Wage.”

“The demand for emergency food rose sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic and it continues to remain high post-COVID 19 pandemic. Members of our Food Security Action Group which includes food banks and community meal programs, report that they are seeing new faces and more families at their doors.“ Jill Umbach, Co-ordinator, Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force. “The recent Food Banks Canada 2023 Hunger Count reported a 32% increase in the number of people accessing food banks. 1/3 of food bank users are children. The rising cost of food is only the tip of the affordability iceberg in terms of the cost challenges faced by those in the lowest-income households. Limited financial resources and housing costs that are well over the affordability threshold of 30% of one’s income mean those living with low incomes are less likely to be able to manage food inflation and more likely to experience food insecurity.”

The budget does not include funds for:

  • Savings
  • Education savings for the children
  • Home-ownership costs
  • Costs to caretake a family member
  • Pets
  • Social engagements
  • Debt repayments

“A job should lift the employee out of poverty,” Dobbyn explains further. “With the significant increases to the cost of housing we see locally, people are working, but homeless, living in cars while sliding further and further into poverty.” While no one should live below the poverty line, there is an understanding and an expectation that being employed should lift that person, and their family, out of poverty.

“In addition,” Umbach says, “reports indicate that people working in the lowest-paying jobs are less likely to have seen any increase in wages during the year and are more likely to be working in industries where part-time work is the norm.”

The United Way of Bruce Grey and The Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force advocate for a move from relying on a food charity model to public policies that increase the incomes of vulnerable households in our community.

Benefits to businesses who pay a Living Wage:

  • Reduced recruitment costs
  • Reduced training costs
  • Better morale
  • Employees do not have to hold down multiple jobs just to make ends meet
  • Less fatigue
  • Increased productivity
  • There are over 500 certified living wage employers in Ontario

For more information on the Living Wage report please contact Francesca Dobbyn at 519-376-1560 or execdir@unitedwaybg.com

For more information on Living Wage Ontario, please contact Anne Coleman, Campaign Manager Manager@ontariolivingwage.ca Ontario Living Wage Network

Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force Poverty Task Force

Poverty Task Force/United Way Community Update #202

Dear Colleagues,

Ontario would not exist as it is today without treaties. They form the basis of the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Although many treaties were signed more than a century ago, treaty commitments are just as valid today as they were then.

More on our local treaties can be found at: Treaty Recognition Week: SON-Crown Treaties | Saugeen Times for Nottawasaga Purchase, 17 Oct 1818, Treaty #18, Saugeen Tract Purchase, 9 Aug 1836, Treat # 45 ½ and Saugeen Peninsula Treaty, 10 Oct 1854, Treaty # 72.

Read more: History of treaties in Ontario | ontario.ca

Treaties Recognition Week (5-11 Nov 2023) was launched in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action (PDF) to increase treaty awareness and provide students and the public with an important opportunity to learn why treaties matter. For more resources go to: Treaties Recognition Week | ontario.ca Map of Ontario treaties and reserves | ontario.ca

We All Belong: Voices of Lived Experiences is a 10-segment series of interviews being produced by Rogers TV.  New segments of the series are aired each week and can be shared from the Rogers TV Grey County website. We All Belong: Stories of Lived Experiences – Grey County (rogerstv.com)

The Poverty Task Force is a member of Campaign 2000. We complete surveys to contribute to some of their reporting:

FOOD SUPPORT

INCOME SUPPORT

HOUSING SUPPORT

Stay well, Jill