GIVEUSACHANCETOSUCCEED:
VOICESFROMTHEMARGINS
ThereportoftheApril2016HamiltonSocialAudit
February2017
Preparedby:
BillJohnstonoftheFirstUnitarianChurchofHamilton
KatherineKalinowski,AssistantExecutiveDirector,Programs,GoodShepherd
Editedby:
SusanMumaoftheHamiltonOrganizingforPovertyElimination
TomCooperoftheHamiltonRoundtableforPovertyReduction
DeirdrePike,SeniorPlanneroftheSocialPlanningandResearchCouncil
Giveusachancetosucceed:VoicesfromtheMargins
ThereportoftheApril2016HamiltonSocialAudit
TableofContents
1. Introduction
Theprocessandtheparticipants 2. TheBigTheme:Giveusachancetosucceed
3. Theexperienceofpoverty
Itcanhappentoanyone… Butpovertyisn’tjustbadluck.
Livingwithtoolittlemoney
Housing
Food Isolationandstigma
Otherformsofexclusion:Ethnicidentity,skincolour,
genderandsexualorientation
Childrenandyouth Mentalhealth
Dentalhealth
Complexsystemsandlackofco-ordination
Transitioningfromsocialassistancetoemployment
4. Whathelps Goodprograms
Flexibility
Acatalogueofresources Reallylistening
Support
Volunteering
Spiritualityandbeingpartofafaithcommunity 5. Whattheauditorsheard 6. ConclusionsandRecommendations SocialAssistancereform Wagesandprecariousemployment
Housing
Cultureshift:Buildingequityandinclusion
Appendix:Notesandsourcesofallinformationotherthan
thestatementsofthesocialauditparticipants.
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Giveusachancetosucceed:
VoicesfromtheMargins
ThereportoftheApril2016HamiltonSocialAudit
1.Introduction
TwentynineHamiltonianslivinginpovertyagreedtotalkinApril2016aboutwhatthey
experienceonadailybasis.Theirstorieswereheardbyseniorfaith,educationandhealth
leaders.Andtheywererecordedforuseinthereportyouarereading.Theyspokebecause
theyhopedtheirstoriesmightspurimprovementsintheirlives.A$30grocerycardgiven
toeachspeakerwasanaddedinducement.
“Thatpeoplewillselltheirprivacyfora$30grocerycardspeakstoabigproblem,”one
ofthespeakerstoldus.
Sheisright.Thereisabigproblem.Povertyremainspersistentlyhighinthiscity,more
thannineyearsaftertheOntariogovernmentcommittedtocreateastrategytoachieve
measuredreductionsinpoverty.About19percentofthepeopleinthiscityhavelivedin
povertyformostofthe21stcentury.Twenty-twopercentofHamiltonchildrenarepoor
andthusarestartinglifeataseriousdisadvantage.
Thereisindeedabigproblem.
The29speakerspaintedavividpictureoftherealityofpovertyinHamilton.Itisa
pictureofhardworkjusttosurviveanddailyindignities;ofbeingisolatedandalone;and
ofhavingeffortstogetaheadfrustrated.Itisapictureofuntappedpotential.
Itisalsoapicturethathasnotchangedmuchindecades.
Yetmostofthespeakerswerehopeful.Theyhopesharingtheirstoriesmighthelpcreate
publicsupportforchangethatwouldbenefitthemandallofus,bycreatingafairersociety.
Theprocessandtheparticipants
TheinterviewswereorganizedbyHamiltonFaithCommunitiesinAction,agroup
formedin2013throughHamiltonOrganizingforPovertyElimination(HOPE)tobringfaith
groupstogethertoadvancesocialjusticeinthecity.Socialagencieswerecontactedto
suggestnamesofpeoplewhomightbewillingtotalkaboutwhattheyfacelivingin
poverty.Thegoalwastofindpeoplewitharangeofcharacteristics.
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Overthreedays,April6-8,2016,therewere27interviewswith29participants.There
were17women,eightmenandtwomale-femalecouples.Agesrangedfromlateteensto
72.Thelargemajorityweresingle;onlythreeweremarried.Sevenweredivorced.The
participantsdidn’tallsharefulldetailsoftheirlivesbut
• twowereBlack;
• threeidentifiedaslesbianorgay;
• threewererefugees;andatleast
• fivehadsomeuniversityeducationandseveralweregraduates;
• 10hadchildren;
• 10hadsomeformofmentalillness;
• fivewereIndigenous.
Intermsofincome,atleast
• sixwerereceivingOntarioWorksbenefits;
• eightwerereceivingsomeformofdisabilitybenefit(usuallyfromtheOntario
DisabilitySupportProgram);
• onewasreceivingemploymentinsurancepayments;
• twowereemployed(onepart-time);
• onereceivedonlychildsupport;
• twowereretiredandlivingonOldAgeSecurityandCanadaPensionPlanbenefits.
Inthisreport,theparticipants’storiesareorganizedbythemes.Theirrealnameshave
beenreplacedbypseudonymstoprotecttheirprivacy.
Anumberofleadersinthecommunitywereinvitedtoparticipateasinterviewersand
auditors,andwereencouragedtosharetheinsightsgainedinAprilwiththeir
organizationsandthushelpmakeimprovementsforpeoplelivinginpoverty.Thesespecial
auditorswere:DouglasCrosby,BishopoftheRomanCatholicDioceseofHamilton;Father
ConO’Mahoney,VicarforEducationofthediocese;SuePrestedge,AcademicCo-ordinator
forJournalismatMohawkCollege;WinnieDoyle,Vice-president,ClinicalProgramsand
ChiefNursingExecutive,St.Joseph’sHealthcare,Hamilton;CarolynGosse,Directorof
ClinicalPrograms,ED,UrgentCareandMedicineatSt.Joseph’s;HosamHelal,Imamatthe
MuslimAssociationofHamilton;UzmaQureshi,Co-ordinatorofMarketingand
CommunicationsfortheYWCAHamiltonandBoardSecretaryoftheMuslimAssociationof
Hamilton;andWard1CouncillorAidanJohnson.
Fourreporterstooknotesontheinterviews:ElskedeVischEybergen,Directorof
WrapAroundServices,ShalemMentalHealthNetwork;BillJohnstonoftheFirstUnitarian
ChurchofHamilton;KatherineKalinowksi,AssistantExecutiveDirector,Programs,Good
Shepherd;andSusanMumaofHamiltonOrganizingforPovertyElimination.Billwrotethe
firstfoursectionsandKatherinewrotethelasttwo,includingtherecommendations.
SarahGuinta,Co-ordinator,OfficeofJusticeandPeace,RomanCatholicDioceseof
Hamilton,andDeirdrePike,SeniorSocialPlannerattheSocialPlanningandResearch
CouncilofHamilton,co-chairedtheproject.TheHamiltoneffortwaspartofaprovince4
wide“socialaudit”ofprogressinreducingpovertyinOntarioledbyISARC,theInterfaith
SocialAssistanceReformCoalition.Thelastsocialauditin2010resultedinalocalreport,
“TryingforNormalWhentheWheelComesOff”
(http://www.sprc.hamilton.on.ca/report/page/14/),andaprovincialcollectionthrough
ISARCcalled,PersistentPoverty:DispatchesFromtheMargins.(http://isarc.ca/isarc-putshuman-face-to-poverty/).
2.TheBigTheme:Giveusachancetosucceed
Behindthestorieswasacommontheme:Giveusachance.Makeitpossibleforusto
succeed.Stopputtingsomanybarriersinthewayofourescapefrompoverty.
“Letpeoplebecomeconsumersandparticipantsintheirownlives,”onespeakersaid,
and“youcan’tputadollarfigure”onthepositiveripplesthatwillflowfromthat.
Asthisreportwilloutline,thoselivinginpovertyfaceaconstantstrugglejusttosurvive
andthesystemthatissupposedtoliftthemupoftenholdsthemdown.
“Sometimesyoufeellikeyouaregettingaheadbutyougetdraggedback,”saidone.
“I’vetriedtokillmyselfnumeroustimesbecauseIwasnevergoingtogetanywhere,”
saidanother.
Onepersonnotedthatifthesystemhadallowedhertobetrainedproperly,shemightbe
adecadeintoacareerbynow,ratherthanstillreceivingsocialassistance.
Participantsfeeldistrustedanddemeaned.Itisasiftheyareexpectedtofailandthe
systemfulfillsthatpremise.
Incontrastwastheexperienceofarecentrefugeecouple—theofficialstheydealtwith
seemedtoassumetheywillsucceed.“Don’tworry,youarenotalone,”theyweretold.Asa
result,“Youdon’tfeellikeastrangerheresoyou’remotivatedtobeaproductivepartofthe
society.”
Whichisallthe27otherswant—tobetreatedas“aproductivepartofsociety.”
“Weneedtofocusmoreonpovertythanwealthandreallyhelppeople,”onespeaker
said.
Anothersaidourcontinuedhighlevelsofpovertycomesdowntopolicychoices,choices
madebygovernmentsthatweelect.
“Povertyisridiculousinthissociety,”hesaid.“We’vegottonsofmoney.There’s$600
billionoffshore”intaxhavens.
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“Governmentshavegonefromtheheydayofthe1960sand70s,whenthereweresome
socialjusticeaspects,tocateringtothebusinesscommunity,”hesaid.Whatisneededisa
shiftinourvalues.
“Moneyisn’tthebottomlineforeverything,peoplearethebottomlineforeverything,”
hesaid.Whatweneed,hesaid,wastoaimtomakeitpossibleforeverybodytobeallthat
theycanbe.Hehopesthatyoungergenerationswillbebetteratrecognizingthat“weare
allinthistogether.”
“Thethingbeingmissedisweareallinthistogether.Weexistinsocietytohelpeach
other,nottogetmorethantheneighbouracrossthestreet.”
“Povertydividesus.Wewouldallbebetteroff
ifwedidn’tleavesomanypeoplebehind.”
BishopDouglasCrosby,OMI
RomanCatholicDioceseofHamilton
3.Theexperienceofpoverty
Itcanhappentoanyone…
Povertyisn’tsomethingthathappensto“otherpeople.”Manyofourparticipantswere
surprisedtofindthemselvesstruggling.Butwhenarelationshipcollapsedorabusiness
failed,therewasacaraccidentorahealthcrisis,suddenlypeoplewhohadbeenlivinga
comfortablelifefoundthemselvesinpoverty.
Tomhada30-yearcareerininformationtechnology,makinglotsofmoney.Hetooktwo
vacationsayear,hadasecondplaceonalake,threwbigparties.Thenin2005,helosthis
job,wentthroughadivorceandwithintwoyearswasbroke.Herealizedlaterhehada
mentalhealthcrisis.Bythetimehegothimselfsortedoutin2010,hewasinhis60sand
toooldtofindwork.He’snowonthemeagreincomeprovidedbyOntarioWorks.
ValeriemanagedarestaurantinSimcoeandhaddreamsofacareerinjournalismor
architecture.Thenshewasapassengerinafriend’scarthatwasinvolvedinanaccident
and,severalsurgerieslater,sheremainsinconstant,seriouspainandisunabletowork.“I
getupinpain.Mydailylifesucks.”Shenowlivesondisabilitybenefitsintemporary
housing.
Wadewasasemesterawayfrombecomingacharteredaccountantbuthestruggledwith
timepressuresanddevelopedunhealthycopingmechanisms,mainlydrinkinganddrugs.
“BeforeIknewit,Iwasoutonthestreetfor10years.Ilosteverything.”
Anneisdivorcedandherex-husbanddoesn’tpaychildsupportanymore,sosheandher
sonstruggletogetbywithincomefromwhateverworkshecanfind.
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Cynthiawaspregnantwhenaformerspousebeatherbadlyenoughtopermanently
injurethechildshewascarrying.Hersonisseverelydisabled.Whenrespitecarefor
parentsofdisabledchildrenwascutback,thestressofcaringforhersonandanother
disabledfamilymemberunderminedCynthia’sownhealthandabilitytoworkandshenow
receivesOntarioDisabilitySupportProgrambenefits.
Violencewasacommonthemeforthewomen.Dianefledastalkerinanothercity,hada
jobherebutlostitwhenhercompanyclosedandnowshestruggleswithdepressionand
anxietyfromnotbeingabletofindanotherjob.ShelivesonOntarioWorks.
Ericahadagoodeducationandgoodjobsbutarelationshipturnedabusive.Fearingfor
hersafety,shedidn’tpursuechildsupportinreturnforherchild’sfathernotpursuing
access,butsheandheryoungsonwereleftlivingonOntarioWorks.
Nigelcamefromamiddleclassfamily,graduatedfromuniversityandmarriedbut
schizophreniaunderminedhisrelationshipandhisabilitytoholdajob.Nowinhis40s,he’s
beenonOntarioDisabilitySupportProgrambenefitsforsixyears.
Butpovertyisn’tjustbadluck
Asthesestoriesillustrate,almostanyofuscouldenduppoor.Butpovertyisn’trandom.
Therearegroupsthataremorelikelythanotherstobepoor—women,especiallywomen
whoaresingleparents;Indigenouspeople;peopleofcolour;recentimmigrants;gay,
lesbian,bisexual,trans,queerandtwo-spiritpersons;seniors;andpeoplewhoare
disabled.Thiswillbediscussedingreaterdetailinthesectiontitled“Otherformsof
exclusion:Ethnicidentity,skincolour,genderandsexualorientation.”
Surprisingly,Canadiansgenerallyarealsoahighriskgroup.Canadianshaveahigher
rateofpovertythancitizensof18oftheworld’s30developedorrichcountriesthatbelong
totheOrganizationforEconomicCooperationandDevelopment.Onchildpoverty,werank
evenlower—21ofthe30countrieshavealowerpercentageoftheirchildrenlivingin
povertythanCanadadoes.
Thedifferencescanbelarge.In2013,12.6percentofCanadianswerepoor,compared
tojust5.4percentofDanes.Thatyear,16.5percentofourchildrenwerepoor,sixtimes
therateof2.7percentinDenmark.IfourratematchedDenmark’s,onemillionCanadian
childrenwouldbenotbelivinginpovertyandwouldhaveamuchbetterstartatlife.(The
sourceofthesestatisticsandallotherinformationthatcamefromsourcesotherthanour
speakersarefoundintheAppendixattheendofthisreport.)
Howdoweaccountforsuchlargedifferences?DennisRaphaelisprofessorofhealth
policyandmanagementatYorkUniversityandstudiessocialfactorsthataffecthealth.He
arguesthatthesedifferences“arearesultofpublicpolicydecisionsthatdirectlyinfluence
thelivedexperienceofthoselivinginsituationsassociatedwithpoverty.Thesepublic
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policydecisionsaffecttheavailabilityofsupportstochildrenandfamilies,benefitsfor
thoseexperiencingdisabilityandunemployment,theamountoftaxationandrevenue
availableforprograms,wagesandemploymentsecurityandbenefits,andthedistribution
ofeconomicandsocialresourceswiththepopulation.”
Ifheisright,thendifferentpolicies,asexploredbelow,couldsignificantlyreduce
poverty.
“IthoughtasajournalistIknew
whatpovertylookedlike.
Iwaswrong.AspartoftheSocialAudit
onpoverty,Isawsomeofthose
sufferinginpovertybuthiddenfrompublicview.”
SuePrestedge,AcademicCo-ordinator
forJournalism,MohawkCollege
Livingwithtoolittlemoney
Povertyisoftendefinedbylackofincomeoralackofcontrolovertheresourceswe
needtolivewell,soitisnosurprisethatthoseweheardfromstrugglewithlimited
finances.Theirstoriestellofgoingwaybeyondpennypinching—thespeakerslivewiththe
constantstressofneverhavingenough.
“IalwaysfeellikeI’mjugglingbillsbackandforth,”saidAnne.“Rentispaidfirstbecause
ifyoudon’thavearoofoveryourhead,hydrodoesn’tmatter.
“I’mgratefulforeverythingIreceivebutitdoestakeatoll,”sheadded.And“theamount
ofmoneyyougetispathetic,”
“Wearealwaysindebt,alwaysthinkingofwaystoearnextramoney,”saidCynthia,who
wasatthesocialauditwithherhusband.“There’salwaysstuffatschool,weneed$5for
bowling...Wehadtogoandbehumiliatedandaskforthecostofatrip.”
“Youwonderifthere’sanythingelseyoucansellforsomemoney,”saidIrene,whoisin
her20sandlivingonOntarioDisabilitySupportProgrampayments.“Ihavethoughtof
prostitutingmyself.”
Theimpactonthebigitemslikehousingandfoodarediscussedbelow.Butconsider
somethingassimpleaskeepingupappearances,whichisvitalwhenyouareseekingwork
andimportantforself-confidence.
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Cynthiasaidshehasn’tboughtanyclothesfor10years,hasnosocksandhasn’thadher
hairdoneinayear.“We’restressed,”findingtransportationformedicalappointmentsand
food.
Irenesaidshegetsherhaircutbystudentsatahairdesignschoolondayswhenthecost
is$5.Shelostalotofherclotheswhenshewasthrownoutofaplaceshelived.Keepingher
fewremainingclothescleanisachallenge,sincedoinglaundryisexpensive.Shefeelslucky
ifshecandoitonceamonth—and“youdon’tfeelveryconfidenttodothingswhenyou
knowyourclothesaren’tclean.”
Lee,ayoungstudent,paid$425forrent,soshehad$256amonthleftfromherOntario
Workschequeforfoodandforthetransportationandclothesyouneedtoapplyforajob.
“Ifyougetsick,youhavetochoosebetweenmedicineandfood.OrIdon’tbuyanyclothes.”
Oliviais72andlivingon$16,000fromOldAgeSecurityandCanadaPensionPlan.She
saysshehastroubleaffordinghermedications.Sheworkedallofherlifebutsheneverhad
alotofmoney.However,shealwaysmadesureherdaughterandnowhergranddaughter
hadthesameasotherchildren,evenifshehadtoscrimp.
“It’sgoodtogetfoodfornothing,orshoesfornothing,”shesaid.
Transportationcanbeexpensive.AmonthlyHSRbuspassforfulltimestudents19or
undercost$83.60in2016andanadultpasswas$101.20.Half-price“affordable”bus
passesareavailablebutthereisalimitednumber,givenoutfirstcome,firstserved.Ifyou
loseyourbuspass,Leesaid,youarescrewed.Ifyoudon’tlookyoungenough,shesaid,a
drivermightrefusetoacceptastudentpass.
“Povertyispureandsimplealackofmoney,”saidTom.“AllthethingsIfacecouldbe
alleviatedifIhadmoneyinmypocket.”
Thereisnoofficialpovertylineorincomefigurebelowwhichapersonisconsidered
poor,butStatisticsCanadacalculatesawidely-used“lowincomemeasure.”Itsmostrecent
lowincomemeasurewas$22,160beforetaxesforanindividualin2010.Thecostofliving
hasrisen9.2percentinCanadasincethen,sotheappropriatefigureadjustedforthe2016
costoflivingwouldbe$24,216.
Nooneworkingatminimumwageorlivingonsocialassistancemakesthatmuch.
Let’smakesomequickcomparisons:
Ontario’sminimumwage:$11.40anhouror$22,800ayearifyouworked2,000
hours.That’sabout$1,400belowthelowincomecutoff.Inotherwords,evenfulltimework
attheminimumwageleavesasinglepersoninpoverty.Theywouldbedeeperinpovertyif
theyhaddependents.
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OntarioDisabilitySupportProgram:ODSPisprovidedtopeopleinfinancialneed
whohavea“substantialmentalorphysicalimpairment”thatisexpectedtolastmorethan
ayearandthatwouldresultina“substantialrestriction”ontheirabilitytowork.
Thebasicamountforasinglepersoninlate2016:$1,128amonthor$13,536ayear
(whichisn’ttaxable).Thatpaymentisalmost$10,700belowthelowincomemeasure.
OntarioWorks:OWisprovidedtopeoplewhoareinfinancialneedbutare“willingto
makereasonableeffortstofind,prepareforandkeepajob.”
OntarioWorkspaysjust$706amonthforasinglepersonor$8,472ayear(taxfree).
That’smorethan$15,700belowthelowincomemeasure.
Notonlyissocialassistancelowbut“wegetincrementalincreasesthatdon’tkeepup
withinflation,”saidFrank,whoreceivedbothODSPandCanadaPensionPlandisability
benefits.Danielle,whoreceivesOntarioWorks,saidthepayments“arelessthanyouneed
tosurvive…TherisingcostofrenttrumpsanyincreaseinOW.”Theyarebothright.
Socialassistanceforasinglepersonpeakedat$663amonthin1993andwascuta
dramatic21.6percentto$520in1995shortlyaftertheelectionoftheMikeHarris
Conservatives—“anunprecedentedcutinthehistoryofwelfare,”accordingtoone
researcher.Thatlowamountwouldhavegrowntoabout$777ifgovernmentshad
increasedpaymentssincethenjustenoughtokeepupwithinflationinOntario.Infact,they
haven’t.Thebasicsocialassistance(OntarioWorks)rateforasingleperson—$706asof
October2016—isstill,intermsofbuyingpower,$70lessthanitwasalmost22yearsago.
“That20percentcutinthe1990s…hasneverbeenbroughtback,”Cynthiasaid.“We
needaneverydaylivingamountthat’ssurvivable…Andwhenrentincreases4percent,we
shouldgeta4percentincrease.”
NotonlyareOntarioWorksandOntarioDisabilitySupportProgrampaymentslowbut
anyonewhoqualifiesforbenefitsisallowedtohaveonlyverylimitedotherresourcesto
supplementthemonthlypayments.ToqualifyforODPS,youcannothavemorethan$5,000
inassets.ToqualifyforOntarioWorks,theassetlimitishalfthat,$2,500.
LowincomeOntariansareeligibleforHSTandTrilliumtaxcreditsthatwouldaddabout
$75amonthtotheselowincomes.However,toreceivethem,apersonneedstofilean
incometaxformeachyearandmanymaynot.
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“Thisisabouthowwelive,how
ourneighbourhoodsaresetup…
andwhowehaverelationshipswith…
[Weare]goingtobemoreinvested
inmakingchangewhenwepersonally
knowsomeonewhoisimpacted.”
SuePrestedge,AcademicCo-ordinator
forJournalism,MohawkCollege
Housing
Housingwasaseriouschallengeforatleasthalfofourspeakers.Onehadnoplacetolive
whenhespoketous.Severalsaidtheywerepayingwaymorethantheycouldaffordfor
housing.Afewsharedspacesandothershadtemporarylocationsortemporarysubsidies
thatwouldsoonrunout—allprecarioussituations.
Tom,whoreceivesOntarioWorks,noted,“OnOW,Iget$376forshelter.Youcan’teven
getaroomforthat,youhavetoshare.”Andsharingaroomhasitsownchallenges,he
noted.Youmaythinkyouknowsomeone,hesaid,buttheycanchangeentirelywhenyou
aresharingasmallspacewiththem,dayinanddayout.
Tomsaidhemovedeighttimesinfouryears,tryingtofindanadequateplacetolive.
Ireneshareshousing.Sheliveswithherboyfriendandfourotherfriends.Becauseher
housingsituationisconsideredtobeunstable,shedoesn’treceivetheshelterportionof
herOntarioDisabilitySupportProgrampayments.It’sakindofCatch-22situation—she
hasnoshelterallowancebecauseshedoesn’thavestablehousing,yetitwouldbeeasierto
findsuchhousingifshehadtheallowance.
Daniellealsoshareshousing—shestayswithhermotherinaseniors’residence.Butby
doingthat,sheisskirtingaroundrulesthatallowvisitorstostayforonlytwoweeksata
time,potentiallyputtingbothherhousingandhermother’satrisk.
Daniellesaiditcanbehardforasinglewomantofindsafehousing.Andsheworries
aboutgoingintosubsidizedsocialhousingoutofconcernforbedbugs.Shereactedbadlyto
thebedbugsprayinoneplaceshelived.Thepossibilityoffacingbedbugsisachallengefor
allrenters,althoughtheextentofbedbuginfestationsinHamiltonisn’tclear.Complaintsto
Hamiltonpublichealthrosefrom38in2006to426in2014.Inlate2015,thecityapproved
$1millionoverthreeyearstofundastrategy,includingtwostaff,totackletheproblem.
Afterhisfrequentmoves,Tomfoundstablehousingwhenafour-yearwaitendedwith
hisbeingacceptedintoasubsidizedCityHousingunit.Butthereareoftentimelimitsand
conditionsforsubsidizedhousing.
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Anne,forinstance,hassubsidizedhousingforherselfandhersonbuthersonisnow
tryingoutlivingwithhisdad.“Ifmysonisnotbackwithme,I’mterrifiedtohavenowhere
togo.”Hersubsidizedunitisforbothamotherandachild.
Brenda,whoreceivesOntarioWorks,getsa$200amonthsupplementthathelpspayfor
herrentwhichcostsmorethan$700amonth.Thesupplementwaspaidtoher,not
attachedtoahousingunit,andthatallowedhertofindthehousingshewanted.That
delightedher.However,thesupplementissupposedtobeforonlytwoyears.“I’llbe
homelessifthe$200goesaway…soit’sprecarious.”
Emmafacedadifferentchallenge.She’saseniorwhohadastroketwoyearsagothathas
leftherunabletocookordolaundryordusting.Whenhersontriedtorentaplaceforher,
landlordsturnedhimawaywhentheylearnedofthedisability.UnderOntario’sHuman
RightsCode,landlordscannotrefusetorenttoapersonbecauseoftheirdisability.
However,theymightbereluctanttorenttoatenantwithadisabilitybecausetheCodealso
requiresthemtoaccommodatethedisabilities,includingmakingphysicalchangestoa
buildingorchangestopolicies.
Pattyfacesacommonproblem—rentshecan’tafford.Herrenthasgoneupto$650,
whicheatsup58percentofhermonthlyincomefromtheOntarioDisabilitySupport
Program.Shewasleftwithabout$460eachmonthforeverythingbeyondrent.
Leesaiditisn’tpossibletohidethefactthatsheisonOntarioWorkswhenshetriesto
rent—shesaidsheneedsthelandlord’ssignatureonaformtosubmittoOW.“Whenyou
submittheform,theirbodylanguagechanges.”Sheoverheardtwopeopletalkingabouther
whentheyheardshewasonOntarioWorks,sayingshewouldpartyorbedirtylikeallof
theothers.“WithOW,theyliterallytreatyouliketrash.”Thereareplaceswhereyour
welfarechequeiswelcome,shesaid,buttheyareoftenlesssafebuildingsorareas.
Themostserioushousingchallenge,ofcourse,istohavenohomeatall.That’swhat
Nigelfaced.Hehadsharedhousingwithpost-secondarystudentsbutgavethatuptomove
inwithhispartner.“Shecannedme,soIdon’tknowwhereI’llsleeptonight,”hesaid.“I
thinkI’llbeinahomelesssheltertonight.”Severalotherspeakershadexperiencedperiods
ofhomelessnessinthepast.
“Housingisafundamentalhumanneed,”saystheCityofHamilton’sHousingand
HomelessnessActionPlan.“Itisthefoundationfortheeconomic,socialandphysicalwellbeingofHamiltonresidents.Itisthecentralplacefromwhichwebuildourlives,nurture
ourfamiliesandourselvesandengageourcommunities.”
Yetasthesestoriesillustrate,formanyinHamilton,thatsolidfoundationisnotthere
becausetheyareunabletofindsafe,adequatehousingtheycanafford.
Housingisdefinedasaffordable—byCanadaMortgageandHousingCorporation—ifit
costslessthan30percentofgrossfamilyincome.Payingmorethanthatforrentand
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utilitiesoramortgage,utilitiesandcondofeescutsintoapersonorfamily’sabilityto
affordadequatefoodandothernecessities.
Abroadermeasureiscalled“corehousingneed.”Ahouseholdisin“corehousingneed”
ifitshousingis(a)notaffordableor(b)isnotadequate(itneedsmajorrepairs)or(c)itis
notsuitable(itdoesnothaveenoughbedroomsforthehouseholdtomeetnational
standards)and(d)ifthemedianrentforalternativelocalhousingisnotaffordable.
HousingforanyonewhoseincomewasbelowthepovertylineinHamiltonwouldhave
tocostlessthan$605amonthtobeconsideredaffordable.Yettheaveragerentforevena
smallbachelorunitinHamiltonwas$656inOctober2016.
NineteenpercentofHamiltonhomeownersand43percentofrenterspaidmorethan
30percentoftheirgrossincomefortheirhousingin2010.That’salmost54,000
households.
ThesituationisespeciallydireforpeopleontheverylowincomesprovidedbyOntario
WorksorOntarioDisabilitySupportProgram.
Andbothrentandhomeownershiparegettingmoreexpensive.Ineightyearsto2015,
averagerentsinHamiltonroseby22percent.AndrentsinHamilton(excludingAncaster,
Dundas,Flamborough,GlanbrookandStoneyCreek)roseanother8.7percentintheyear
endingOctober2016.Thelargestincreases,11.3percent,wereforbachelorunits.
Between2004and2015,therewasanetlossof1,070rentalunitsinHamilton,making
thesearchforrentalhousingmorechallenging.
Thecostsofowningahomehaverisenevenfaster.Therewasa20percentincreasein
theaveragecostofhousinginHamiltonintheyearendinginJanuary2017.Andsomeof
thelargestincreaseshavebeeninthelowestpricedneighbourhoods.
Manylivinginpovertyareforcedoutoftheprivatemarketbythehighcostsandseek
shelterinsubsidizedhousing—withCityHousingornon-profithousingproviders—which
generallybasesrentonapersonorfamily’sincome(rentgearedtoincome).Thereare
roughly15,000unitsinthissector.Buttherearelongandgrowingwaitinglistsfor
subsidizedhousing.Morethan6,000householdswereonthecity’ssocialhousingwaitlist
inSeptember2016.
Therearealsoprograms,calledrentsupplements,thatprovideafixedamountofmoney
permonth—likethe$200Brendareceived—tohelppaythecostsofrentintheprivate
market.Rentsupplementsarelinkedtothepersonorfamilyratherthantoaunit,leaving
thepersonorfamilywithsomechoiceinwheretheylive.
Twofinalstories.Karen,whohasstruggledwithaddictionsbutwasstablewith
methadonetreatment,hashadstablehousingwithHamiltonUrbanNativeHousingsince
2006.Thathasallowedhertofocusonhelpingherchildrenandsheisworkingongetting
13
creditsforhighschoolwhichshedidn’tfinish.Thefoundationhasbeenthestability
providedbyknowingshehashousing.
“Loseyourhousingandeverythingisallupintheairandeverythinghitsrockbottom,”
shesaid.
That’swhathappenedtoBrittanyandshedidhitrockbottom.
Brittanyis37andforeightyears,“Ihadmyownplace.Igaveituptohelpafriendsave
theirs(presumablybymovingintoasharedspaceandsharingrent).Ironically,itcostme
myown.Twoyearsago,Ihadahomeandsecurity.Idealwithchronicpain,depression,
PTSD,borderlinepersonalitysyndrome.Acommunicationsbreakdownledtomybeing
kickedout.”
Shecouchsurfed,thenwasattheBarrettCentre(amentalhealthcrisiscentre),thenthe
YW.ShecontactedSOS(SupportingOurSisters,ahousingfirstprogramforwomenwho
areepisodicallyorchronicallyhomeless)butshedidnotqualifybecauseshehadnotbeen
homelessfortherequiredsixmonths.Beingturneddownforthathelptriggeredamental
healthcrisisandasuicideattempt.AndthatcrisisputherhousingattheYWinjeopardy.
TheYWcouldn’tmeethermentalhealthneedsbecause,shesaid,itisunderstaffedand
underfunded.It’snotsetupforthatlevelofcare.
Brittanyalsocouldn’tgetacasemanager,toadvocateforher,becauseshedidn’thave
permanenthousing.Meanwhile,shehadmostofherthingsinstoragewithamountingbill
shecan’tafford.
TheYWprovidestransitionalhousinganditissupposedtolastforonly11months.
Brittanyworriesaboutbeingonthestreet.
“I’mveryembarrassedtobeinthissituation.Thereisalotofstigma,”Brittanysaid.“I’m
notadruguser,Ipaidmyrent.AllI’vebeentryingtodoisgethelp.Idon’twanttobein
thissituation.”Shewasnotsurewhatwouldhappennext.
Food
Adirectconsequenceofthehighcostofhousingformanylivinginpovertyisdifficulty
eatingwell,whichinturncreateshealthchallenges.Whenhousingcostseatupmorethan
30percentofasmallincome,thefoodbudgettendstosuffer.
Thecityregularlyestimatestheminimumcostofanutritiousdiet.InMay2015,an
adequatedietcost$232.65amonthfora31-50yearoldsinglemanand$196.32fora
womanofthesameage.
Onapovertylevelincome,that’salotofmoneyandpeopleareoftenhungry.
14
“ThefirstthingwhenIwakeupeachmorning,IthinkofwhatI’mgoingtoeat,”says
Irene.She’shungryallthetimeanddrinkscoffeetohelphergowithoutfood.“Ican’tafford
toeathealthily.”HermedicalproblemsrequirehertoeatahealthydietbuttheSpecialDiet
AllowancethatsupplementstheOntarioDisabilitySupportProgram“givesmeabouta
quarterofwhatIneed.”Shegets$15amonth;onebagoflactose-freemilkscosts$10.
“Thefoodbudgetisalwaysthefirsttogo,”saysFrank.“Youhavetobuytheworstfood…
freshproduceisalmostatreatnow.”
WhenLeewasastudent,shefoundshecouldn’tconcentrateifshehadn’tbeenableto
affordtoeat.“I’mdefeated,I’msotired,why,whyisthissodifficult?”
Carol,whoispartofaself-helpgroupcalledCampaignforAdequateWelfareand
DisabilityBenefits,saidpoorpeopletendtobeweakfromlong-termmalnutrition.That
makesitdifficultforthemtofightforwhattheyneed.
Daniellenotedthatmoodswingswererelatedtotheadequacyofherdiet.
Dianehasaconditionthatcauseshertogainweighteasily,sonotbeingabletoafford
freshfoodandvegetablesisabigproblem.
Charitycanhelppeoplestretchtheirfooddollars.Nigel,whoisonODSP,saidOutofthe
Cold,whichprovideshotmealssixeveningsaweekatcitychurches,“iswonderful”butit
runsonlyfromNovembertoMarch.TheSalvationArmyalsoprovidesmealsbuthefound
itdepressing.
Almost20,000Hamiltonians—including7,400children—visitedafoodbankin
HamiltoninMarch2016.Foodbankscanhelpstretchthebudgetbutthereweremixed
viewsoftheexperienceaswellasthequalityofthefood.
“Itrynottousefoodbanks,”Brendasaid.“It’sasoulsuckingexperiencesittinginthe
waitingroomwaitingforabagoffood.”Andsheoftencouldn’teatthefoodsprovided.
Pattysaid,“Iwon’tgotoafoodbank…cannedfoodandexpiredmeat.”
Tomcomparedthelineupasyouwaittogetfoodto“acattlecall”andsaiditwas
demeaning.Andthefoodismostlycarbohydrates.“It’salastresort.”However,ifhedoesn’t
havetobuytheitemshegetsfromthefoodbank,hecanaffordtobuybetterfooditems
withhisOntarioWorksmoney.
Dianelamentedthatpeopleareonlyallowedtogotoafoodbankonceamonth.
Frank,ontheotherhand,hadgoodexperienceswithfoodbanks—“thefoodisalways
good,thepeoplebehindthecounterarealwaysfriendly.”Adele,70,receivesOldAge
Security,GuaranteedIncomeSupplementandCanadaPensionPlanbutstillneedsto
stretchherlimitedincome.ShepraisedtheGoodShepherdfoodbankforallowingpeople
choice,insteadofjusthandingoutaboxofpre-selectedfood.NeighbourtoNeighbouron
15
theMountainalsoallowspeopletochoosetheirownfood.TheSalvationArmyhasstarted
puttingoutbinsoffreshfruit,Adelenoted.
MostofthevisitorstoHamilton’sfoodbanks—69percent—wereOntarioWorksor
OntarioDisabilitySupportProgramrecipients,whichunderlineshowinadequatethose
paymentsare.
“Itisnotjustthatweneedtorespond
topeopleinneed.Itishowwedoso…
Topreservedignityisessential.”
ImamHosamHelal,Imam,
MuslimAssociationofHamilton
Isolationandstigma
“ThebiggestthingOntarioWorksandpovertyhavedonetomeissocialisolation,”said
Tom.“Youcan’tgoanywhere,youcan’tmeetapersonfordrinksorcoffee”becauseyou
can’taffordtopayanddon’twanttoalwaysacceptcharity.“Socialisolationsetsinpretty
quicklyandthatleadstodepression.”
“Theonlypeopleyouareabletorelatetoourotherpeopleinpoverty,”Tomsaid.“You
don’thavethesocialmobilitytotalktomiddle-classpeopleorbusinesspeople.So
everyoneisbringingyoudown.Thisisexactlywhatmentalhealthpeoplesayyoushouldn’t
do,you’resupposedtoditchnegativepeople.”
Evenwhentherearepay-if-you-canevents,asanattempttoincludeeveryone,“the
spotlightisonyou.Thereisastigmaevenwhenanattemptismadetoinclude.”It’shardto
overcomebeingembarrassedbytheclothesyouarewearingorbybadteeth,hesaid.
Manyotherstoldsimilarstories.
“ToooftenIfeelalone,”Annesaid.
“It’shardtomakeconnectionswhenyouareinahardplace,”saidBrenda.
“It’shardtogetoutbecauseIdon’thaveanymoney,”saidFrank.
Martinsummedupthelonelinesshefelt:“IneedtobelieveinmeandIneedsomeoneto
believeinme.”Heknewheneededhumanconnectiontorecoverfromaddictions.Karen,
too,saidsheneedstonotletherselfbecomeisolatedtoensuresheisn’tpulledbackinto
addictions.
Josefound“itisdifficulttointegratewhenthereareallthesebarriers.”
16
Hisuseoftheword“barriers”isastute.Joseisarefugeewithhiswifeandachildfrom
CentralAmericaandreceivesOntarioWorkspayments.Hewasspecificallyreferringto
challengesheandhiswifefacedwithtransportationandcommunicationbecauseoftheir
lackofmoney.Butpovertycreatesmanybarrierstoinclusionandparticipation.Asnoted
inthisreport,limitedincomemakesitdifficulttoaffordaphoneorinternetaccess,bus
fare,cleanclothes,afewdollarsforasocialoutingorsufficientfoodtofeelwellenoughto
engagewithothers.
Butanothercrucialbarrieristhestigmaagainstpeoplewhoarepoor,andevenmore,
againstpeoplereceivingsocialassistance—awholewallofnegativeassumptions.
“Oneofthebiggestthingswithpovertyistheembarrassment,learningtolivewiththe
embarrassment,”saidIrene.Shegotthroughhighschoolwithalotofhelpfromher
teachersatDelta.“Mymathteacherusedtohelpout.Itwasembarrassing.He’dsay,hey,do
youneedgrocerymoney?Here’s$20.”
Frankhasalsohadlotsofhelpbut“it’sdemeaningtoalwaysseekcharity.”
Ericatalkedaboutavoidingphonecallsfromhersister.“Mysistertellsmeofnewthings
she’sdoing.Ifeelashamed…butthereisnothingpositivetotellthem.”
Cynthiasaidpeopledonatethingstocharitythattheywouldnevergivetotheirown
child.“Therearedonationsthatareobviouslyused.Isawacolouringbookthatwas
colouredin.It’shumiliating”thatpeopleexpecthertogivethattoherchild.
“Atshelters,IfeelIamtreatedasifIwasalesserperson,”saidLee.Shepreferredcouch
surfingorsleepingoutside.
“Ifacestigmaallthetime,”saidCynthia,aviewechoedbyLee.“EventhoughIamon
socialassistance,I’mjustasgoodasanyoneelse—Ineedhelp.”
“Takeawaysomeone’sdignityandtakeitawaylongenough,itstartstowearyoudown,”
saidBrenda.“Noonewantstobelookeddownon,”tobetreatedaspoorso-and-so,Anne
said.
Peoplelivingonlowincomesdealfrequentlywithinstitutionscreatedtohelpthemand
thoseinteractionscaneitherhelpovercomethebarrierstheyfaceoraddtothem.About
halfofour29participantsreceivedeitherOWorODSPanddealtwithcaseworkers.With
ODSP,theyalsodealtwithpeoplewhoassessedwhethertheyweredisabledenoughto
qualify.
EmmasaidapplyingfortheOntarioDisabilitySupportProgramandprovingyouhavea
disabilitywas“likesittinginfrontofajudge.Theyprettymuchtellyouyouarealiar.”At
thattime,shewassufferingfromdebilitatingheadachesthatmadeitdifficulttowalkany
distance.Shewasturneddown.Whenshelatersufferedastroke,shewasapprovedto
receiveODSPbenefits.
17
Cynthia,whoisonODSP,describedhercaseworkeras“punitive.”
Frank,whoreceivedbothODSPandCanadaPensionPlandisabilitybenefits,saidhis
workergetsfrustratedfromoverworkandstress.“Icantell—hertonehaschanged.”There
simplyarenotenoughpeopletositandlisten,hesaid.Hiscaseworkerusedtohavea
coupleofotherswhocouldhelpher“butshe’smywholeteamnow.It’sjustlackofstaff.
Latelymyworkersoundsfrantic.”
Scott,whoisonODSP,tookabroadperspective.“Irespectmycaseworkers.Igivethem
mygarbage,”thestoriesofhispainandchallenges,andhewondershowtheycopewith
hearingsad,difficultstoriesallday,everyworkingday.
Erica,whoreceivedOntarioWorks,said,“TheOWofficehasthefeelofaprison,”in
contrasttotheopenandbrightemploymentofficeshe’dalsovisited.Thedeskatwhichthe
OWcaseworkersatwaselevatedand“IfeellikeacriminalwhenIwalkintotheOWoffice
…andbythetreatmentofthecaseworker.”
“Twoorthreeyearsago,IfoughttohaveaworkerhelpmewithwhyIwasn’tableto
sustainemployment,togetattheunderlyingissues,”Diane,whoreceivesOW,said.“She
foundIwasstrugglingwithmentalhealthproblemsandhelpedmegethelpinthe
community.Whyisshetheonlyonewhotookthetime?If[acaseworkercan]ask
appropriatequestions,youcanidentifytheissuesandreferpeopletotheresourcesofthe
community.Iknowtheyareoverworked,butyouwon’tfindthesolutionsifyoudon’tdig
in.”
GregdealtwithadifferentsystemasaCrownwardintheChildren’sAidsystem.
Becausehewouldsoonturn21,hewasabouttoleavethesystem.At21,hewould“ageout”
ofthechildwelfaresystemandlosehisresidence.However,therearesupportsforliving
expensesifapersonisinpost-secondaryeducationandalsomedicalbenefits.Hepraised
hiscaseworkerforhelpinghimcreateaplanforhisfutureandtotakeadvantageof
benefitsthatarethere.Buthesaidmostcaseworkersdon’tdothatfortheirclients.The
result,hesaid,isthatalotofkidsgostraightfromChildren’sAidtoOntarioWorks.
Socialexclusionhashugecosts.GlobeandMailhealthreporterAndrePicardhaswritten
that“Ifyou’repoor,you’resixtimesmorelikelytobesociallyisolatedthanyourpeers.”
Andbeingsociallyisolatedhasrealandserioushealthconsequences.AsPicardexplained
intheUnitedChurchObserver:
“Studyafterstudydeliversimilarlygrimprognoses:lonelinessisasharmfultohealthas
smoking15cigarettesaday;havingnofriendsmayincreasetheriskofprematuredeathby
about30percent;socialisolationcanbetwiceasdeadlyasobesity;it’sasbigakilleras
diabetesandithikestheriskofdementiaby64percent.Lonelinessisaquantifiablehealth
hazard.”
Picardexplained,“Biologically,what’shappeningisthatthefearlonelypeople
experiencestimulatesstresshormones(areactionsometimesknownasthefight-or-flight
18
response),whichinturntriggersinflammation,amajorriskfactorforheartdisease.When
thatstressisconstant,italsogreatlyincreasestheriskofdepressionandsuicide.Being
isolatedoftentranslatesintobeinginactive,andthat’swhatincreasestheriskofobesity
anddiabetes.Lonelinessisbadforyourheartandbadforyoursoul…”
Danielledescribedastudyshe’drecentlyreadaboutthatrelatedisolationtoaddiction.
Labratswereputinanenvironmentwheretheyhadaccesstowaterlacedwithheroinor
cocaineandalsoplainwater.Ratsthatwerealonereturnedagainandagaintothedrugs
andbecameheavyusers.Ratsthathadotherratswiththemusedthedrugsmuchlessand
noneofthemdied.
“Weneedtoacknowledgepoverty
andtheimpactonIndigenouspeople.
Weneedtoact.”
Ward1CouncillorAidanJohnson
Otherformsofexclusion:Ethnicidentity,skincolour,genderandsexual
orientation
Asnotedearlier,povertyaffectssomegroupsmorethanothers.Youaremorelikelyto
bepoorifyouareanIndigenousperson,apersonofcolour,arecentimmigrant,awoman,a
singleparent,alesbian,gay,bisexual,trans,queer,twospiritedperson,orsomeonewitha
physicalormentalillnessoraddiction.Manyinthosegroupsfacebarriersincluding
discriminationthatincreasethelikelihoodthattheywillbepoorandmakeithardertoget
outofpoverty.
Oftenthereareintersectingbarriersforthosewhofitintomorethanoneofthose
categories—womenofcolourwithdisabilities,forinstance.Manyofour29participants
facedmorethanonechallenge.
“StigmaiscompoundedbecauseI’mBlackandayouth,”Leesaid.Shehasfeltitfrom
landlordsandfrompolice.Ifsheiswalkingdownthestreetandispassedbyapolicecar,it
slowsdown.Sherecalledbeingstoppedandquestionedbypolicelookingtoseeifshestole
something—whileshewatchedthelikelythief,awhiteman,sneakaway.
ShesaidshewastaughtasachildthatthereareonlysevenwordsaBlackpersonshould
saytoauthorities:Yessir,nosir,thankyousir.
“Youronlyprotectionisifyouhaveawhitepersonwithyou.Ifyouhaveawhiteperson,
they’llaskthesamequestionofthewhitepersonandtheBlackpersonbuttheytreatmeas
ifI’mstupid.”
19
“Mywordsdon’tmeananythingtoacop…Iseemycousins,mysister,mybrother,thisis
somethingyouhavetodealwitheveryday…Iwouldn’tcallpoliceifIwasmugged.”
Somestatisticsarerevealing.Forfiveyearsinarow,Hamilton’sBlackcommunityhas
beenthemostcommontargetofhatecrimesandhate-motivatedincidents.Hamiltonpolice
statisticsonstreetchecksorcardingshowthatvisibleminoritypeoplewere
disproportionatelystopped.AndBlackandIndigenouspeopleareover-representedatthe
Hamilton-WentworthDetentionCentreonBartonStreet,comparedtotheirnumbersinthe
totalpopulation.
The2006Censusshowedthat25percentof“racializedpeople”inHamilton-BurlingtonGrimsbywerelivinginpoverty,comparedto10percentofnon-racializedcityresidents.
“Racialized”personsreferstopeoplewhoself-describedasavisibleminorityforthe2006
CensusbutdoesnotincludeIndigenouspeople.
ThepovertyrateforIndigenouspeoplewas29percentin2011(basedonthelow
incomemeasure),wellabovetherateforthegeneralpopulationinHamilton.Indigenous
residentsfacehigherlevelsofhomelessnessandprecarioushousingthanthegeneral
population.
Cynthia,whoisIndigenous,said,“Ifacealotofdiscrimination—atthehospital,atsocial
serviceagencies.”Shesaidhealthcareisalwaysdiscriminatoryandshepointedtothe
reportOurHealthCounts,whichshesaidshowsthatIndigenouschildrenarethreetimes
lesslikelytogettreatment.
HalfoftheHamiltonIndigenouspersonssurveyedforOurHealthCountsreportedunfair
treatmentbecausetheywereIndigenous.Almost35percentreportedbeingthevictimofa
raciallymotivatedverbalattackand15percenthadbeenvictimsofaraciallymotivated
physicalattack.
TwooftheIndigenousspeakersmentionedtheintergenerationaltraumathat
governmentpolicieshaveinflictedonIndigenousfamilies.MembersofCynthia’sfamily
weresurvivorsoftheresidentialschoolsystemthattookIndigenouschildrenfromtheir
familiesandtriedtoforcethemtoassimilateintothedominantculture.Irene’smotherwas
partofthe“SixtiesScoop,”themassremovalofIndigenouschildrenfromtheirfamiliesinto
thechildwelfaresystemthatsawalargemajorityofthechildrenplacedinnon-Indigenous
homes.IreneandhersiblingswereseizedbytheCatholicChildren’sAidSocietywhenIrene
wasnine.
BoththeresidentialschoolsandtheSixtiesScoopunderminedallaspectsofIndigenous
peoples’wellbeing,disruptedfamilylife,diminishedparentingskillsandcreatedacrisisof
identityandlowself-esteem.Andthesetraumaticimpactshavebeentransmittedto
subsequentgenerations.Theschools,saidonereport,“leftanhistoricalandemotional
legacyofshame,loss,andself-hatredthatistherootcauseofaddictionandmanyofthe
associatedsocialproblemsfacingAboriginalcommunitiestoday,”andsodidtheSixties
Scoop.
20
“Weneedtostopthecycle,”Cynthiasaid.
Manyofthefemalespeakersexperiencedviolence,whichsometimescontributedto
theirlivinginpoverty.
Cynthia,asmentionedearlier,wasabusedbyherfirsthusbandwhenshewaspregnant,
causingseveredisabilityforherson.DianecametoHamiltonin2005,fleeingastalkerin
anothercity,andlivedforatimeinMarthaHouse,ashelterforwomenfleeingdomestic
violence.Irenehasexperiencedsexualabuse.
Brendawasphysicallyabusedbyherformerhusbandwhothenfoughtherinthecourts
forfiveyearsforjointcustodyoftheirchildrenandforchildsupport,sincehewasn’t
working.Shehadtopayhalfherwagestohim.“IfeltIwasbeingvictimizedagain,bythe
system.”Shedidn’tqualifyforlegalaidbecauseshewasn’tonsocialassistance.
“ThereshouldbeLegalAidfor
everyonewhoisinpoverty.”
UzmaQureshi,Co-ordinatorofMarketing
andCommunications,YWCAHamilton
Erica,whoreceivesOntarioWorks,wassufficientlyafraidofanabusiveformer
partner—“Ifearedbeingmurdered,”shesaid—thatsheacceptednotreceivingchild
supportpaymentsthatshebadlyneededinreturnforherformerpartnernothavingaccess
totheirchild.
Brittany,whofacesarangeofmentalhealthchallenges,“wasbroughtupinanabusive
home,soIdidn’tfeelIhadsomeonetakingcareofme.”Today,sheisinher30sbutstill
feelsthat“I’mbeinglostinthecracks.”
Adele,whohashadgoodjobsbutalsoperiodsofhomelessness,hasfacedsexualabuse
asawomanandasalesbianthatcompoundedothertroublesincludingmentalillness.Her
sexualorientationhassometimesbeenabarriertoemployment,shesaid.Shehashadto
dressinwaysthatshewouldn’thavechosen,inordertofitin.
YvetteisarefugeewhofledherAfricancountryafterbeingbeatenbyherparentsand
beatenandrapedbythemanherparentsforcedhertomarry.Thereason?Sheisalesbian,
whichwasneithertoleratednorlegalinhercountry.Shewasjailedandmightwellhave
beenkilled.Shewasfortunatethatherloverwasabletouseherconnectionstohelpherto
escapetoCanada.Evenhereshehasfaceddiscrimination.ShesharedaroominHamilton
withanotherAfricanwomanwhokickedheroutwhenshelearnedshewasalesbian.She
spenttwomonthslivingoutsidebeforesomeonetookhertoashelter.
21
“Thereisanexpectationofdiscrimination
forpeople,evenchildren,
whoare[racialized],
whoareMuslim,
whoaredifferent.”
ImamHosamHelal,Imam,
MuslimAssociationofHamilton
Childrenandyouth
Hamiltonsaysitwantstobethebestplacetoraiseachild,butpovertyisasevere
challengeformanyofourchildren.TwentytwopercentofHamiltonchildrenlivein
poverty,thefourthworstrateamongCanada’smajorcities.Growinguppooraffects
physical,intellectualandemotionaldevelopment,withtheimpactvaryingwiththelength
oftimeachildispoorandthedepthofpovertyexperienced.
Andit’shardonparentswhohaven’ttheresourcestodoalltheywantfortheirchildren.
“Idon’tdenyhim,thenIgo,crap,Ican’tpayhydro,”saysAnne,referringtoherson.“I
boughthimthingsatthecostofsomethingelse.Ialsotradethings.Maybeheseesthrough
thefaçadealittlebutIdon’tthinkhecanseetheclearstruggleIgothrough.Idon’twant
himdowntroddenandwithouthope.Mysonismylife.”
“AlotofpeoplelosetheirrentmoneytohaveaChristmas,”saidCynthia.“Ididthatwhen
Iwasyoung.”She’ddipintotherentmoneytobuyafewChristmaspresentsforher
children,thenwarnherchildrenthattheymighthavetomoveinJanuary.Shewouldlove
tohaveaspecialChristmasallowanceforpoorparents.
Cynthiasaidthecityrecentlyreducedassistanceforpoorfamiliespayingrecreation
fees.Thecitywillnowprovideupto$150ayearoffeeassistanceperchild,whichshesaid
providedforonlythreetofivemonthsofprograms.
Thestigmaofbeingpooraffectschildrenaswellasadults.
“Myconcernischildhungerandchildbullying,”saidEricaofhersix-year-oldson.“My
sonhashomemadehaircutsandhand-me-downclothing.Hewasbeingbulliedbyhis
teachers—“Iwouldn’thavebelievedit”butithappenedattwodifferentschools.Shesaid
sheandhersonhaveneverfeltasiftheywerepartoftheirneighbourhood—“Heisn’t
invitedtoanybirthdayparties.”
OntarioWorksandOntarioDisabilitySupportProgramprovideadditionalmoneyto
parents,basedonthenumberofchildrentheyhave,asindicatedinthetablebelow.Aswell,
OntarioprovidestheOntarioChildBenefitwhichpaysamaximumof$113amonthper
childforthosewithlowormiddleincomes.
22
OWandODSPpaymentsforsingleadultsandparentswithchildrenunder18.
Singleperson
Singleparent-1
child
Singleparent-2
children
Couple
Couple1child
Couple2children
Ontario Ont.
Total
Works Child
Benefit
$706
$706
$966
$113 $1,079
ODSP
$1,019
$1,095
$1,148
$1,205
$1,545
$226
$1,245
$1,608
$113
$226
$1,095
$1,261
$1,431
$1,688
$1,751
$1,821
Ontario
Child
Benefit
$113
$226
Total
$1,688
$1,864
$2,047
$113
$226
$1,128
$1,658
$1,834
Theamountspaidperchild,includingtheOntarioChildBenefit,arenotconsistent:
• AsingleparentonOWreceives$373foronechildandanadditional$166fora
secondchild.
• AcoupleonOWreceivesjust$166foronechildandanadditional$170fora
secondchild.
• AsingleparentonODSPreceives$530foronechildandanadditional$176fora
secondchild.
• AcoupleonODSPreceives$176foronechildandanadditional$183fora
secondchild.
Apersonearningminimumwageormorewouldbeeligibleonlyforthe$113perchild
permonthOntarioChildBenefit.Thebenefitisreducedasincomerises.
Inadditiontothepaymentsnotedinthetableabove,parentsareeligibletoreceive
additionalmoneythroughafederal-provincial-territorial-FirstNationsnationalchild
benefitthatdatesbackto1998.TheprogramwasreorganizedasofJuly2016asthe
CanadaChildBenefitthatreplacedtheCanadaChildTaxBenefit,theNationalChildBenefit
SupplementandtheUniversalChildCareBenefit.
Thenewtax-freebenefitforalowincomefamilywithachildunder6is$533amonth;
forachild6-17,thebenefitis$450.TheCanadaChildBenefitismaderegardlessofthe
sourceofaparents’income,sothoseonsocialassistancedonotloseitiftheybeginto
work.Thenewbenefitpays$57to$74moreperchildpermonththantheold.
ButliketheGSTcreditandTrilliumtaxcreditsmentionedearlier,thebenefitispaidonly
ifapersonfilesanincometaxformeachyear.TheHamiltonRoundtableforPoverty
ReductionestimatesseveralthousandHamiltonfamiliesdonotfileandthusdonotreceive
thispayment.
23
OWandODSPpayments,includingOntarioChildBenefit,andaddingthe
CanadaChildBenefit,forsingleadultsandparentswithchildrenunder6.
Singleperson
Singleparent-1
child
Singleparent-2
children
Couple
Couple1child
Couple2children
Ontario
Works
and
Ontario
Child
Benefit
$706
$1,079
Canada
Child
Benefit
$533
$1,245
$1,095
$1,261
$1,431
Total
$706
$1,612
ODSPand
Ontario
Child
Benefit
Canada Total
Child
Benefit
$1,545
$1,066
$2,311
$1,608
$533
$1,066
$1,095
$1,794
$2,497
$1,688
$1,751
$1,821
$533
$1,128
$2,078
$1,066
$2,674
$533
$1,066
$1,688
$2,284
$2,887
TheOntarioandnationalchildbenefitshavebeenhailedbyourgovernmentsas
importantstepstoreducingchildpovertyandtheyhavemovedmanypoorfamiliesthat
werejustbelowthepovertylinetobeingjustaboveit.Butalthough10ofourspeakers
havechildren,nonementionedtheOntariochildbenefitortheoldnationalbenefitsthat
existedatthetimeofthesocialaudit.
Itisimportanttonotethatevenwiththehighestincomefiguresshowninthechart
above,parentsonsocialassistancewhohaveoneortwochildrenremainatleast$9,000
belowthelowincomemeasure,updatedforinflation,forhouseholdsoftwo,three,orfour
people.
Ofcourse,allcostsrisewhentherearechildren.Consideronlytheneedforalarger
housingwithchildren.Whereasaveragerentforabachelorapartmentwas$656in
HamiltoninOctober2016,theaverageforaone-bedroomwas$154higherat$810and
$306higherforatwo-bedroom.(ThesefiguresdonotincludeAncaster,Dundas,
Flamborough,GlanbrookorStoneyCreek.)Thosehigheramountsalonewouldeatupmuch
oralloftheamountthatOntarioWorks,OntarioDisabilitySupportProgramandthe
OntarioChildBenefitpaytoparents,andthereareofcourseadditionalfood,clothingand
alltheotherexpensesforchildren.
Thefinancialsituationofthefamiliesofsomeofourspeakerswouldbeimprovedifchild
supportthatwasduewasactuallypaid.
Helen,atstay-at-homewithfivechildren,saidsheisentitledto$1,000everytwoweeks
inchildsupportforherfivechildrenbuttheirfatherarbitrarilyreducedthatto$600.“He
24
payswhathewantsto,eventhoughthere’salegalagreement,”Helensaid.“Hewasalways
financiallyresponsible,soIneverthoughthewoulddothat.”
OntariohastheFamilyResponsibilityOfficethat,accordingtoitswebsite,“collects,
distributesandenforcescourt-orderedchildandspousalsupportpayments.”ButHelenhas
foundtheofficehardtodealwith.
“IgothroughthesystembuttheFamilyResponsibilityOfficeisnothelpful,”shesaid.
“TryingtogetinformationfromFROisliketalkingtothewall...“IcallFROeveryweek…
nobodytellsyounothing.Idon’thaveacasemanageryet.”Herexowesher$20,000and
sheisconfidentshewillgetitsomeday,“butyoucan’tputyourstomachonhold.”
Therearelimitedresourcesforyouthinthecity.NotreDameHouseistheonlyhomeless
shelteraimedspecificallyatyouths16-21butitsfuturewasputindoubtwhenthecityof
Hamiltondecidedinlate2015tocut$230,000inannualfundingithadprovidedforthe
program.
BrennanHouseprovidesahomeforyouths16-20withmentalhealthchallenges.
Angela’sPlaceandGraceHavenprovidehomesformothersunder21andtheirchildren.
Robert,20,dealswithAsperger’ssyndromeandborderlinepersonalitydisorder.When
hecouldnolongerlivewithhismother,hisfamilyarrangedforhimtogofirsttoNotre
DameHouseandthenBrennanHouse.Hehaslearnedtothinkaboutsituationsmore
rationally,haslearnedsomelifeskillsandisinanangersupportgroup.Hehopedthis
wouldallowhimtomovebackwithhismomandtrytogetajob.
RobertfeltthereshouldbemorefundingforNotreDameHousebecauseitwastheonly
youthshelterinthecity.Donationsfromprivatecitizenshavemadeupforsomeofthe
$230,000lostwhenthecitycutitsfundingbutGoodShepherd,whichoperatesNotreDame
House,isstilllookingforapermanentfundingsourcetokeeptheshelteropen.
“Researchshowsthatathirdofhomelessadultswerehomelessasteens,”Good
Shepherd’snewsletternotes.“Weneedtointerruptthiscycleofpovertyandhomelessness
andempowerHamilton’syouthtobecomeindependentmembersofsociety.”
“Theconnectionsbetweenpoverty
andmentalhealthareclear.”
WinnieDoyle,Vice-president,ClinicalPrograms
andChiefNursingExecutive,
St.Joseph’sHealthcare
25
Mentalhealth
There’sacomplexinterrelationshipbetweenpovertyandmentalhealth.Clearly,mental
healthproblemsmadeitdifficultformanyofthespeakerstoholdajob,temporarilyor
longer,leavingtheminpoverty.Butstrugglingtosurviveinpovertyalsotakesatollon
mentalhealth.
Tom,whoisactiveintheMoodMendersmooddisordersprogram,putitthisway:“If
youareinpoverty,you’llhavementalhealthchallengesandifyou’vementalhealthissues
theoddsareyou’llendupinpoverty.”
Ericasaidshehadneverbeendepresseduntilshefoundherselfstrugglingtocopewith
livingonOntarioWorkswithheryoungson.“Povertycausesmentalhealthproblems,”she
said.Shealsobelievesshehasdevelopedrheumatoidarthritisbecauseofstressoflivingin
poverty.
Dianesaidshesufferedfromdepressionandanxietybecauseshehasn’tbeenabletofind
worksincelosingthelastjobshehadwhenhercompanywassold.“Ifeellikeahamster
spinningwheels.Andthatbringsdownyourmentalhealth.Ifotherthingsdon’talign,your
mentalhealthgoesdown.It’saviciouscircle.”
Irenesaidshesaidhastriedtokillherselfbecause“Iwasnevergoingtogetanywhere.”
Forothers,mentalillnesscontributedtotheirendingupinpoverty.Scottcamefroma
wealthyfamilybutwasabusedasachildandcopedbytakingdrugs.He’dgetthingsunder
controlandbefinanciallyfine,thenreturntodrugsandloseitall,thenrepeatthecycle.He
eventuallylearnedhehadpost-traumaticstressdisorder.Thediagnosiswasagreatrelief:
“Maybethiswasn’tmyfault,”hesaidofhisproblems.Hecouldstopblaminghimself.
“ThereisareasonIwasdoingwhatIwasdoing.”
Wadespentadecadeonthestreetsbeforeseekinghelpwithhisaddictions.Hehadlost
everythinghehad.Hewasdiagnosedwithschizophreniaandspenttimeinmentalhealth
institutions.
Martinalsolosteverything.Hewasmarried,hadacarpetcompany,twohouses,two
cars.Butthemarriagefellapart,hehadtoliquidateeverythingandmovedinwithhis
grandparents.Hisworkruinedhiskneesandhisback.Hestruggleswithalcoholanddrug
useandhisabilitytodealwithbothishamperedbyfetalalcoholsyndrome.Hecyclesup
anddown,hasspenttimeinjail,hashadanumberofshort-termrelationships,can’t
managemoneyorhistimewell.Drugsandalcoholare“theonlywayIknewhowtodeal
withstress.Youdon’tcareforawhile—andthenyouwakeup.”
Pattyworksinthesextradeandrananescortbusinessforawhile.Butshestruggles
withborderlinepersonalitydisorderandhasspenttimeinjail.“I’llbegoodforawhileand
theneverythingfallsapart,”shesaid.
26
Frank,whohasstruggledwithmentalhealthproblemssincehis20s,notedthatthereis
alotofshameinvolvedwithmentalillness,so“youdon’twanttoaskpeopleforhelp.”Asa
result,hedelayedgettinghelp.Scott,too,talkedofthestigmaaroundgettinghelpfora
mentalhealthproblem.
Andwhenyouarereadytoseekhelp,someofthespeakersfoundgettingthehelpthey
neededwasn’teasy.
Gettinganappointmentwithapsychologistishardandwithpsychiatrists“almost
impossible,”Franksaid.Scottsaidittookhimtwoyearstogetanappointmentwitha
psychiatrist.Andwhenhedid,thepsychiatristsaidhiscasewassevereandaskedwhydid
hehaddelayedgettingtreatmentforsolong!
Wadesaidhegotnowhereinthementalhealthsystem30yearsago.“Ineverfeltany
compassionorconnection,Ineverfeltwanted.Ifeltlikeanumber.”“WhenIcrashed,they
treatedmelikeabuffoon—Iwascryingmyeyesoutandthesocialworkerlaughedinmy
face,apsychiatristcriticizedmyemotionalmaturity.IsworeIwouldnevertreatanyone
thewayIwastreated.…Ifeltjudged.”
Nigel,whohasbeendiagnosedwithschizophrenia,facedasixmonthwaittoseea
psychiatristwhenhewasateenandhisfamilyhadtroublepayingforhim,sohewas
treatedbyastudentpsychologistwhowasn’tmuchhelp.
Hesaidfamilydoctorsdon’ttendtoaskaboutmentalhealth,“sowediscoverthereisa
mentalillnesswhenwehaveacrisis.Wehavenowaytocatchmentalillnesswiththishitand-misssystem.Theproblemwithmentalillnessisthatyouthinkyouarenormal.We
needmentalhealthcheckups.”
Dentalhealth
Tombeganhispresentationbyapologizingforthefactthathemightbelisping.Hesaida
problemwithlivinginpovertyonOntarioWorksisthecomplexityofgettingdentalcare
and“ratherthangoinginandgettingteethremovedsoIcangetdentures,itturnsintoa
six-stageprocess.”
Othersalsotalkedofdentalchallenges.Anne,asinglemomwhowasonOWandnow
worksasmuchasshecan,saidshehadn’thaddentalcaresinceshelivedwithherparents.
Shedidn’tqualifyforcoverageand“atriptothedentistissoexpensive.”
Irenegrewupinpovertysufficientlydeepthatherfamilycouldnotaffordtoothbrushes
ortoothpaste.Today,at27,halfherteethareuseless.Herdentisthassaiditwouldcost
$10,000to$15,000totrytosaveherteeth,althoughitwasn’tclearitthatwaseven
possible.Sheneededninecrowns.
27
ForErica,cavitieswereanewthingsinceshe’dhadtogoonOntarioWorks.Shefound
therewasachangeinherdentist’sconductwithheraftershewasonOW—hesmiledless
andgotangrywithher—andsheonlyunderstoodwhywhenshelearnedhereceivedonlya
fractionofhisusualfeesforhercare.
Therearedentalbenefitsforfamilymembersunder17ofbothOntarioWorksandODSP
recipients.ThereisbasicdentalcareforadultsunderODSPbutnomandatorydental
benefitsforadultOntarioWorksrecipients.Benefitscanbeprovidedatthediscretionof
localmunicipalitiesandHamiltondoesprovidediscretionarybenefits.Togetcare,patients
mustpresentthedentistwiththeirOWorODSPdentalcardfirst.Thedentistmustbea
participantintheMinistryofCommunityandSocialServicesDentalPlan.WithOntario
WorksinHamilton,beforeanytreatment,thedentistmustsubmittoPublicHealthan
entiretreatmentplan,whichcanbecarriedoutonlywhenPublicHealthhasstampedthe
plan“approved.”Anexceptionismadeforemergencies,definedaspain,bleeding,swelling
ortrauma.Therearefixedfeesforproceduresandextrabillingbythedentistisnot
permitted.Whatisandisnotcoveredisquitespecific.
“Thelackofcoordination,
theamountoftimeyouspend
justnavigatingandadvocating…
itisafull-timejobbeingpoor.”
FatherConO’Mahoney,VicarforEducation,
RomanCatholicDioceseofHamilton
Complexsystemsandlackofco-ordination
Brittany’sstoryaboutherstruggletofindhousing,toldabove,illustratessomething
notedbymanyofthespeakers—itisdifficulttounderstandandtonavigatethesystems
andinstitutionsthatmightbeabletohelpthem.
Therearemanyagenciesandprogramsthatmightbehelpfulbutthereisnooneto
guideapersonorfamilytothem.Caseworkershavelimitedtimeandmandates.Different
agencieshavedifferenteligibilityandotherrules,arescatteredacrossthecityandopenat
differenttimes.
Oftenitisbyaccidentthatsomeonelearnsofaprogramorcharitythatcouldhelpthem
withaspecificneed.
Justscramblingtogetbymeans“it’safulltimejobbeingonOW,”Annesaid.
Frank,whowoundupinhospitalafteramentalhealthcrisis,saidhedidn’tknowabouta
wholeseriesofservices—GoodShepherd,IndwellandtheHousingHelpCentre—that
28
couldhavehelpedhimwhenhewasdischargedfromhospital.Hefeelsfortunatetobe
livinginanIndwellunit.
Leesaidshedidn’tknowaboutSt.CharlesAdultandContinuingEducationandwould
havefinishedherhighschooleducationmuchfasterifshehad.
Manyrulesaresimplyfrustrating.AnneknewafriendwhowenttoSt.Joseph’sHospital
forsuicidalthoughtsand,becausehenolongerhadanaddress,hisbenefitschequewere
goingtobeeitherreducedorcutoffentirely.“Nowonderpeoplehaveproblemswith
mentalhealth,”shesaid.
Eligibilityfordentalcoverageiscomplex,asarerulesaroundassistanceforeducation.
Asnotedearlier,caseworkerscanbeveryhelpfulbutnotallarewillingorhavethetime
toreallyworkwithclients.Justgettingtoservicescanbecostlyandtimeconsuming.
Differentgovernmentministriesdonotalwaysco-ordinatetheirprogramseventhough
thereislotsofoverlapbetween,say,healthandsocialwelfareissues.Separateprograms
oftenexistforIndigenouspeoplesandtherearealsoseparateprogramsforimmigrants.
Lackofawarenessbyserviceprovidersabouttheimpactofmentalhealthproblemscan
bearealbarriertogettingneededhelp.Peoplecanbejudgedasbeingdifficultbecauseof
behaviourstheycannotcontrol.
Dianesaidthereneededtobemorefundingforthesocialassistancesystem,sothatstaff
havemoretimetohelptheirclients.
Brittanysaidthereneededtobebetterco-ordinationamongdifferentprogramsand
bettermanagementofinformation.Shesaidshehadtofilloutonedetailed,comprehensive
formthreetimes.Onceshouldhavebeenenough.Thequestionsaskedwereintrusiveand
itwastraumatizing,to,forinstance,havetorepeatstoriesofpastabuse.
“Theincoherenceofthesystem”isfrustrating,Brendasaid.Thereshouldbesome
agencyordirectorytooverseeallofthethingspoorpeopleface.
Cynthiaechoedthatview.“Thereisnooneagencymanagingallofyourstuff.”For
herselfandherdisabledchildren,shedealswithOntarioDisabilitySupportProgramand
thespecializedAssistanceforChildrenwithSevereDisabilitiesprogramplusother
governmentprograms,plusIndigenousprograms,pluscharitiesforspecialneeds
equipment.
Cynthiaisfortunatethatshehasafullpost-secondaryeducationthathelpedherfindthe
resourcessheneeded.Andherhusbandhasacollegeeducation.Andstill,herfamily
struggles.
“Iftwopeoplewithuniversityandcollegeeducationcan’tdoit,howdootherscope?”
Cynthiawondered.“Mysisterhasalearningdisability.Howcanshecope?”
29
“Weneedtoacknowledgethatsystems
thataresupposedtohelpvulnerablepeople
oftenfailthem.”
CarolynGosse,PresidentofSt.Joseph’s
HomeCareandVice-President,
IntegratedCare,for
St.Joseph’sHealthcare
Transitioningfromsocialassistancetoemployment
Gettingoutofpovertyishard.Justsurvivingdaytodaycantakeallyourtimeand
energy.Poorhousingandaninadequatedietcantakeatollonone’shealthandenergy
level.Itcanbehardtofindthemoneyforaphone,forappropriateclothingandfor
transportationtogettointerviewsorwork.
IfapersonreceivesOntarioWorksorOntarioDisabilitySupportProgrampayments,
thosepaymentsarereducediftheyearnincome.Thereisnoimpactforthefirst$200a
monthofearnings.Earnmore,andthereisa50centreductioninOWorODSPpayments
foreverydollarofnetincomeearned.ThoseonODSPdoreceivea$100Work-Related
Benefitthatispaidforeverymontharecipientworks.
Ifapersonlivesinsubsidizedhousing,theamountofsubsidywillbereducedasthey
earnincome.Iftheyarereceivingrentgearedtoincomethatissetat30percentofyour
income,thenthereductionis30centsforeverydollarearned.However,thereareoddities
inthecalculationofsubsidizedrentforpeoplereceivingODSPthatcanmaketheimpact
muchgreaterifthereisashiftfromafixedandsmallrentpaymenttorentgearedto
income.
ThesereductionsinOWorODSPbenefitsorinrentsubsidycanactasadisincentiveto
work,especiallygiventhelikelihoodthattherewillbeadditionalcostsfortransportation
andpossiblyclothingandfoodwhenapersonisworkingthattheywouldnototherwise
face.
AfurtherdisincentivemaybethelossofmedicalbenefitsthatareprovidedtoOWor
ODSPrecipientsbutthatmightwellnotbeprovidedbyanewemployer.ExtendedHealth
BenefitsorExtendedEmploymentHealthBenefitsmightbepaidafterapersonleaves
OntarioWorks.TheExtendedHealthBenefitappliesaslongastheexcessofearnedincome
overOWentitlementislessthanthehealth-relatedcosts.ExtendedEmploymentHealth
BenefitcanbepaidforuptosixmonthsifapersonleavesOWforajob,iftheydon’tqualify
fortheEHBandifthejobdoesn’tprovidehealthbenefits.
Cynthia’shusbandwasabouttobeemployed,atagoodjob,butitwasn’tobvioushow
mucheconomicbenefittherewouldbe.Thefamily,withtwodisableddependents,hadhigh
30
medicalcosts.“We’lllosethedisabilitybenefit,somedicationwillnotbecoveredandthat’s
$25,000.
“I’lllosethechildtaxbenefitaswell,”Cynthiasaid.“So…itdoesnotreallybenefitus
muchtowork.
“Thereshouldbeayearortwoofget-on-your-feetallowance,”shesuggested.
Childcarecostsandarrangementscanalsodiscourageseekingwork,althoughchildcare
costscanbedeductedindeterminingnetincomebeforedeductionsaremadetoOntario
WorksorOntarioDisabilitySupportpayments.Buttherearealsochallengesjustfinding
childcare.Oliviasaidmorechildcarespacesareneededsoparentscanwork.
Severalspeakerssaidthereneededtobemoreemploymentresources.Cynthiasaid
thereneededtobeassistancetohelppeoplebecomeself-employed.Shenotedthatyoucan
comeinasanewCanadianandgetfundingforentrepreneurshiptrainingbutnotonsocial
assistance.
Thereareopportunitiesforwork-relatedtrainingbutsomeofourspeakersraninto
problems.
In2006,OntarioWorkspaidforDianetogetsevenmonthstraininginaprivatecollege
andthefinancialadministrationdiplomasheearnedwasenoughtolandherajob.Buttwo
yearslater,thecompanywassoldandshehasn’tbeenabletofindworksince2009.She
saidOntarioWorkshadarulethatitwouldonlypayforcoursesthattookayearorlessand
therewasalifetimemaximumof$10,000thatcouldbespent.Thatfirstcourseusedupall
butafewhundreddollarsofherlifetimetotal,sothereisn’tenoughmoneyavailablefor
hertoupgradeherbookkeepingskillstohelpherfindemployment.Andtheone-yeartime
limitsenthertoaprivatecollegewhosediplomaisnotrecognizedbymanyemployers.
“HadIbeentrainedproperly,I’dprobablybeeightto10yearsintoacareerandyou
couldhavegottenmeoffyoursystem,”Dianesaid.Instead,sheisstillonOntarioWorks,as
shehasbeenformostof11years.
Irenealsogotadiplomafromaprivatecollege—shetookoutaloantogo—butfound
employerswouldnotacceptit,requiringinsteadaccreditationfromacommunitycollege.
TomsaidOntarioWorksandOntarioDisabilitySupportProgramshouldprovidemoney
sopeoplecanaffordtheinternet.“Youcan’tapplyforajobwithouttheinternet,”hesaid.
WadewasfortunatewhenhefirstgotworkwhilestillreceivingODSPpayments.Hewas
abletostartpart-timeandincreasehishoursuntilhewasemployedfull-timeandno
longerreceivedODSPcheques.“IthinkIwouldhavefailedifI’ddoneitallatonce.The
transitionisveryimportant.”
31
Andithelpedagreatdealthathisemployerprovidedbenefits.“Itwould’vebeenalot
harderwithoutbenefits,”hesaid.“Benefitsareveryimportantbecausemymedicationis
veryexpensive.”
Oneofthebiggestdisincentivesforworkisthechangednatureofworkitself.Areport
fromTDEconomics,hardlyaradicalsource,summarizedthechallenge:
“Shiftsinthestructureofthelabourmarketandinthecompositionofthelabourforce
haveresultedinashrinkingportionoftheunemployedpopulationbeingeligibleforfederal
EmploymentInsurancebenefits,leavingworkingadultswithfewerresourcestofallback
onwhentheylosetheirjobs.Atthesametime,thepoorqualityandnon-standardnatureof
manyofthejobsthatarebeingcreatedtoday—whichpaylowwagesandoffernohealthor
pensionbenefits[andoftenofferonlycontractworkwithlimitedandunpredictable
hours]—haveincreasedtheeconomicinsecurityofCanadianswhodowork,whilelackof
affordablechildcarehasrestrictedothers’abilitytofindworkinthefirstplace—
particularlytheheadsoflone-parenthouseholds,whoaccountforaneverlargershareof
thepopulation.And,intoday’sknowledge-basedeconomy,beingoutoftheworkforcefor
evenashorttimerequiresmoreupgradingofskillsandtrainingthanevertomakea
successfulre-entry.”
“It’saproblem.Peoplearenot
beingaskedwhattheyneed
buttoldwhattheyneed.”
SuePrestedge,AcademicCo-ordinator
forJournalism,MohawkCollege
4.Whathelps
Itwasclearlyhardforsomeofthoseinterviewedtotelltheirstories.Severalwerein
tears.Eachofthemwasaccompaniedbyavolunteer,whobothpreparedthemandtalked
withthemaftertheyhadspoken.Onepersonspentahalfhourinanearbychapelwitha
volunteer.
Yetasurprisingnumberstillhadhope.Thissectionexploressomeofthethingsthatare
workingorhaveworkedtomakethingsbetter.
Goodprograms
DaniellepraisedapilotprogramthatthecityrancalledBeginningTodaythatprovided
OntarioWorksrecipientswhohadaddictionswiththekindof“intensive”case
32
managementmanyofthespeakerswishedtheycouldhave.Daniellefounditmuchmore
compassionateandusefulthanregularOntarioWorksadministration.
BeginningTodaywasapilotprogramthatinvolvedusing“asolution-focused,
participantcentredapproachtoassessingandmeetingparticipantsneeds.Thismeans
workingwithparticipantstobuildontheirstrengthsandskills.”Sixcasefacilitators
provided“wraparoundsupportsforparticipantsusinganintensivecasemanagement
approach.Thismethodensuresthatparticipantsreceivetherightservices,inproper
sequenceandinatimelymanner.Thesespecializedstaffarehighlytrainedandskilledand
havelowerthanaveragecaseloadstoenabletheprovisionofthistypeofcase
management.”
Theevaluationdoneforthecityin2013concludedthatthisintensivecasemanagement
didsucceedinincreasingemploymentandinincreasingabstinenceoratleastlow-risk
drinking.
Robert,asnotedinthesectiononchildren,benefittedfromlifeskillstraining.“Youlearn
lifeskillssoyoucanliveonyourown…It’sagreatprogramandpeopledefinitelyneedit.”
Leesaidthereneedstobemorelifeskillstraininginregularschools.
BrendaandAdelehavebeenhelpedbyStepsforHealth,aprogramofGoodShepherd
thatoffersexercise,cooking,nutritionandweightandsmokingmanagementassistanceas
partofaprogramtopreventchronicdiseaseandenhancequalityoflife.
DanielleandAdeleusetheGoodFoodBox,aprogramthatprovidesaboxofhealthyfood
eachmonth,10produceitemsfor$15orsevenfor$10.Theprogramusesvolunteersto
packanddistributetheboxes,reducingcosts.Otherslikedthesit-downdinnersprepared
andservedbyvolunteersatOutoftheColdlocations,sixdaysaweekfromNovember
throughMarch.Severalpraisedfoodbanksthatgavepeopleachoiceofwhichfoodsthey
took.
TheCampaignforAdequateWelfareandDisabilityBenefitsisanorganizationofOntario
WorksandOntarioDisabilitySupportProgrammemberswhosupporteachotherand
advocateforissuesthataffectthem.Carol,amember,saidtheorganizationalsohascontact
withpeopleworkinginsidethesystemwhocanquicklyfixsomeproblemssuchaspeople
beingwronglyremovedfromOWorODSP.
Flexibility
Irene,now27,lookedbackfondlytothesupportshehadtogetherthroughhighschool.
“Deltawasphenomenal,”shesaid.Theschoolaccommodatedpeoplewithmentalhealth
problemsandabsencesfromschoolorthedesireforasmokebreak.Shewas21whenshe
graduatedandherteachersbackedheruptoallowhertostayuntilshewasfinished.And
33
teachersalsogaveherfinancialhelp,handinghercashwhentheysuspectedsheneeded
food.
Acatalogueofresources
AgoodinformationresourceaboutfinancialhelpandservicesistheBasicNeeds
FinancialSupportCatalogueproducedbyHamilton’sBestStart,thecommunity
collaborativenetworkthatsupportsHamiltonfamilies.Thecatalogue,whichisprintedand
online,identifiesmanyresourcesavailableforlow-incomefamilies.Thereisalsoachartof
servicesforyoungchildren.http://hamiltonbeststart.ca/community-initiatives/9055462424,ext.3010.
Reallylistening
Formanyofourspeakers,theirlivesimprovedwhensomeonetookthetimetoreally
listentothem.Theyfelt,sometimesforthefirsttime,thattheymattered.Andbyreally
listening,apersonwasabletobetterhelpthem.
“IthelpswhenIhavesomeonetotalkto,”someonewhounderstandsthatyourfeelings
matter,saidRobert.“Trustisthebiggestthingbetweensomeonewithmentalhealth
challengesandsomeonetryingtohelpthem.”
Diane,asnotedinthesectiononisolationandstigma,finallygothelpwithmentalhealth
challengesthathadbeenholdingherback,aftershefoughttogetacaseworkertotakethe
timehelpherfindoutwhyshewasn’tgettingahead.
Emma,whohadastroke,hadtwoquitedifferentexperiences—andresults—withtwo
peoplefromtheCommunityCareAccessCentrewhicharrangesforneededcare.One
personmadeadecisionaboutwhatcaresheneededoverthephone.Anotheractuallymet
withheranddeterminedthatsheneededhelpeverydayoftheweek,notjustthethree
daysthatshehadbeengetting.ShealsopraisedthewomanatMary’sPlace,anemergency
shelter,whohelpsfindpermanenthousingforthoseintheshelter.She“isawesome.She
listens,shetriestodosomething.”
Scottcopedwithchildhoodabusebyusingdrugsandhadyearsoftreatment,without
success.Partoftheproblemwasthathewasneverhonestabouttheabusehe’dsuffered.
ThenhegotacaseworkeratGoodShepherdwhojustsaidtohim,“HowcanIhelpyou?
Tellmewhyyouhavesomuchpain.”Andthenshelistened.“Icriedforsixhoursoverthree
sessions.Sheneversaidaword.”“Fromthefirstwords,youcantell”iftheycare.Atone
point,Scottsaid,hewashospitalizedand“BrotherNickcalledthreetimesadaytoseehow
Iwas.Whenpeoplecare,whywouldIwanttogoback[todrugs]?Isn’tthatlove?”Oneof
thebrotherstoldhim“weloveyou.Myparentsneversaidthattome.Theyseesomething
inmethatmaybeIdon’tseebutIwill.”
34
Support
“Ifeelveryprivileged,”Brendasaid.“Ihaveasupportsystem.”
Havingpeopleand/orinstitutionsintheirlivestohelpthem—helpingovercoming
isolation,helpingthemfindresources—isreallyimportantandwascommontothe
experienceofthemosthopefulspeakers.
ForBrenda,itwasherinvolvementintheHamiltonRoundtableforPovertyReduction
thatmeantthemosttoher.Theroundtablehasanalmost50-50splitbetweenpeoplewith
andwithoutlivedexperienceofpovertyandtheworkfeelsmeaningful.Asnotedabove,she
alsoparticipatesinStepsforHealth.
“It’sparticipatinginthecommunitythathelpsme,”Brendasaid.
“AsI’vehelpedmyself,I’vehelpedmychildren,”shesaid,spreadingwhatshe’sgained.
Hersonwas30andahard-coredrugaddict.“Igotmysoncleanandsoberandnowhehas
apartnerandIhavegrandkids.”
IreneissupportedbyWrapAround,aprogramforlife-planningthatlinksindividualsor
familieswithatrainedfacilitatorandasupportteamchosenbytheclienttohelpthem
identifyandworktowardstheirdreams.
IrenealsogoestotheHamiltonRegionalIndianCentre.“IpreferaccessingAboriginal
services.Youcanhavefouryearsifthat’swhatittakesyoutotrust.”
St.Joseph’smentalhealthserviceshelpedhergetadiagnosisandtheBridgetoRecovery
programtherehelpedherchangeherthoughtpatterns.
Volunteering
Despite—orperhapsbecause—oftheirchallenges,manyofthespeakersvolunteerin
somecapacity.Likehavingasupportsystem,volunteeringpreventssocialisolation,itcan
befun,anditprovidesareasontogetoutofthehouse.Oftenvolunteerslearnnewskills
andmakeimportantcontacts.Theymayhearofopportunitiesorofresourcestheydidn’t
knowabout.Sometimestheygetfed.Notleastimportant,severalspeakersvaluedthe
opportunitytogivesomethingbacktothecommunity.
“Ihadtostartvolunteeringjusttogetout”andovercometheisolationhefeltlivingon
OntarioWorks,Tomsaid.HebecameactiveinjoinedMoodMenderslocallyandeventually
becamepresident.Dianevolunteersforthesamereason,togetout.
Adeleisasupportpersonwithacircleofaccountabilitythatworkstoreintegratesex
offendersintosociety,volunteersinherchurchandhasbeenactiveinanumberofother
organizations.
35
Annehasvolunteeredasaspeakerinthecommunity,talkingabouttheexperienceof
poverty.“You’realwayshopefulitwillgosomewhere,thatmaybesomeonewithinfluence
hearsomething.”Throughvolunteering,shehasmetpeoplelikesocialplannerswhoare
abletohelphersolvesomechallenges.Shetriestohelpotherswhosheseesarestruggling.
ScottvolunteersatGoodShepherd,whoseprogramsandpeoplewerekeytohis
recoveryfromaddictions.“IreallywanttolearnmoreaboutmentaldiseasessoIcanhelp.”
Olivia,whohasstruggledfinanciallyformuchofherlife,triestohelppeoplewhoneed
help.Butshesaysthereisapayofftovolunteering.“Volunteersoyouhaveacirclethat
helpsyou.Usethetablearoundyou.Withoutthetrustofthatgroup,you’llstaystill.”
Spiritualityandbeingpartofafaithcommunity
Beingpartofafaithcommunityorhavingsomespiritualpracticewasasourceof
strengthforanumberofthespeakers.
“Forspiritualhealth,Iconnectwithnature,whereIwitnessGod,”saidDanielle.She
paints,too,atwaterfalls.“Atawaterfall,Ifeellikeoneofthemostabundantpeopleinthe
city.”
“IalsoseeGodinthepeoplewhohelpedme.”
“MyspiritualityisbeingintouchwithwhoIam,”saidKaren,anIndigenouswoman.“I
knowwhomyCreatoris.Ihavemyownway,andIonlyanswertomyselfandintheend,
I’llhavetoanswertowhoeveritisupthere.”
AfterfeelingbothcaredforandlovedatGoodShepherdasherecoveredfromtrauma
andaddictions,Scottsaid,“IamstartingtogotochurchandIbelieveinGod.It’sa
wonderfullife.”
“Iampartofachurchcommunityandthat’sbeenveryhelpful,”Wadesaid.“It’sbecause
ofmywife’ssupport,12Stepsandmychurch”thathehasbeensoberfor18years,has
foundajob,marriedandhasahome.
Wadesaidheusedtobeamilitantatheist.Whenhewasaddicted,hisaddictionwas
moreimportantthananything.“Godwasmywayout…GodandthepeopleGodgaveme.”
Adele,whohasstruggledwithdepressionbutisdoingwellnow,saidwhatkeepsher
goingis“faithinGod.”SheattendsNewVisionUnitedChurchwhereshesingsinthechoir
andisamemberoftheaffirmingcommitteethatsupportsgay,lesbian,bisexual,trans,
queerandtwo-spiritedpeople.
“TheemptiesttimeshavebeenwhenI’mnotatchurch,whenIdon’tfeelGodinmylife.”
“I’vealwaysbeengrateful.Idon’tcomplain.Itryandbethereforothers.Ialwayssay,
whateverhappenstome,someonehashaditworseandIjustkeepongoing.”
36
“Adoctoroncetoldmethatthebestantidoteformentalhealthissuesisahome,a
job,andafriend.Thepeoplewhosharedsohonestlyandopenlyaboutthe
challengesoftheirlivesconvincedmethatitistrue.Theyalsohelpedme
understandtheimportanceofspiritualityinlife–knowingthatyouareloved,and
thatGodhasyourwell-beinginmind.Thosewhodidseemedbetterabletocope
withthechallengestheyfaced.Theyhadhope–nomatterhowmeagre.
Ialsobecameacutelyawareoftheimportanceofcommunitysupportwhen
peoplefindthemselvesindistress.TheGoodShepherdministries…andtheirmany
centresinHamiltonhelpwhenpeopleneedtoputfracturedlivesbacktogether
againandthereisnowhereelsetoturn…Suchgroupsdeservetobesupported
withsufficientgovernmentandcommunityfunding.”
BishopDouglasCrosby,OMI
RomanCatholicDioceseofHamilton
5.Whattheauditorsheard
Aconsistentthemepresentedbytheparticipantswhorecountedtheirexperiencesand
perspectivesattheHamiltonSocialAuditwasthatofbeingunheard.Manysaidthateven
whentheytoldtheirtruthaboutthedeprivationtheyfacedandtheobstaclesthey
encounteredtolivingwithasemblanceofcomfortanddignity,theyfeltignored,
disbelievedorblamed.
Itisforthisreasonthattheauditorsplaysuchasignificantroleintheauditprocess.
Theirpresenceandcommitmenttolisteningdeeplytothelivedexperiencesofpeople
affectedbypovertyofferedassurancetotheparticipantsthattheiruniquestruggleswere
trulybeingheard.Further,theauditors’attentionsignaledthatthereisastrongcurrentof
concernandagenuineinterestinunderstandingtherealhumancostsofpoverty.
Theauditorsselectedforthe2016socialauditbroughtimpressivecredentialswith
them.(Theyarenamedonpage3.)Theyareleadersinourcommunitywhoseopinionsand
perspectivescarryweightandhavethepotentialtoinfluencethosearoundthem.Theaudit
organizerssoughtoutauditorswhorepresentacrosssectionoftheinstitutionsthatarethe
foundationofourcommunity—faithgroups,education,healthcare,mediaandlocal
government.Theywerechosenbecausewhentheyspeak,peoplelisten.
Povertywascertainlynotanewissuetothispanelofauditorsbutintheuniquedetails
ofindividualstories,theyfoundamuchdeeperunderstandingofthefactorsthattrap
peopleinuntenablecircumstances.Everystorysharedbythe29participantsreinforced
thefactthatbeingpoorchipsawayataperson’ssenseofself-worth,theirdignityandtheir
37
hope.Asoneauditorobserved,povertyshouldbeviewedlessasaneconomicproblemthan
asamoralcrisis.
Keyissuesidentifiedbytheauditors
•
•
•
•
•
Thesocialassistancesystemisfundamentallyflawedanddoesnotreflecta
commitmenttohumandignity.Inadequateassistanceratesconsignindividualsto
livingindeeppovertyandlimitopportunitiestoforgeanimprovedqualityoflife.
Therearesimplytoomanyobstaclestomovingoutofthesystem.Recipientsmust
continuallyweightherelativebenefitsandcostsoftransitioningintopaid
employmentwhenandifthisisanoptionforthem.
Ourfailedresponsetopovertyreflectsadeeplyentrenchedculturalbeliefthat
peoplechoosetobepoor.Therealityisthatbeingpoorishardwork.Creatinga
deeperunderstandingoftheskillandresilienceittakestonavigatethecomplexand
costlysystemsthatallowpoorpeopletoliveatasubsistencelevelinour
communitiesmightbeastartingpointforshiftingthevictimblamingmentalitythat
dominatesmainstreamthinkingaboutsocialwelfare.Weneedtocalculatethelost
productivity,creativityandhumanpotentialthatistheresultofpoverty.
Itisessentialtounderstandthefactorsthatputpeopleatgreaterriskforbecoming
trappedinpoverty.Statisticsdemonstratingthedisproportionaterateofpoverty
amongstwomen,Indigenouspeople,membersoftheLGBTQ2communities,
racializedanddisabledpeople,andnewcomerswerebroughttolifeintheaccounts
ofmanyauditwitnesses.Dismantlingculturalandsystemicdiscriminationis
essentialtoreducingandultimatelyeradicatingpoverty.
Thepervasivepresenceofviolenceinthestoriessharedwiththeauditorswas
deeplydisturbing.Numerouswitnessesidentifiedclearlinksbetweenbeingpoor
andhistoricalexperiencesofchildabuseandwomanabuse.Othersspoketoboth
theirownandtheirchildren’sexperiencesofbeingbulliedandharassedinrelation
totheireconomiccircumstances.Itisimperativethatwestrengthenoursocial
safetynettoensurethatlivingalifefreeofviolenceandabusedoesnotcomeatthe
costoflivinginpoverty.Furthermore,wemustensurethatpeoplelivinginpoverty
haveaccesstothesameremediesandprotectionsasothercitizensforpersonal
safetyandsecurity.
Theauditorsidentifiedtheneedtodisruptthecycleofpoverty.Investmentinearly
interventionandrobustsupportsforchildrenbornintopoverty,youthagingoutof
thechildwelfaresystemandforpeopleimpactedbymentalillnesspresent
opportunitiesforlastingchange.
Theauditorsclearlyidentifiedthatoursocialsafetynetcannotbeeffectiveunlessitis
basedonthepremisethatpovertyisunacceptable.Asocialassistancesystemthat
maintainspeopleinpovertyisfundamentallyflawed.Ourpersistentfailuretoacknowledge
andrespondtotheintersectingoppressionsexperiencedbypeopleinpovertyseverely
38
limitsourabilitytocreateeffectiveinterventions.Poorpeoplearenottheproblem.Abroad
lackofcommitmenttoensuringthatvulnerablepeopleareaffordedtheopportunitytolive
withdignityasfullyengagedcitizensistheproblem.
Despitethedireconditionofoursocialsafetynet,theauditorsidentifiedsignsofhopein
alltheyheard.Withoutexception,thepeoplewhosharedtheirstoriesdemonstrated
tremendousresilienceandstrength.Eachspeakerwasabletopointtoresourcesand
strategiesthatallowedthemtomanageincrediblydifficultcircumstances.Thesupportofa
committedworker,familyorfriends,particularcommunityagenciesandfaithcommunities
wereoftenidentifiedaskeytosurvival.Manyofthosewhospoketothepanelalso
identifiedthatvolunteeringintheircommunity,participatinginadvocacyworkand
assistingotherswhowerestrugglingasimportanttorestoringtheirsenseofself-worth
andkeepingthehopeforabetterfuturealive.
Thatsenseofsharedresponsibilityisapowerfuldriverforchange.Auditorsreflectedon
theimportanceofbuildingmoreinclusivecommunities.Sincerelywelcomingpeople
affectedbypovertyintoourneighbourhoodsandintoourliveswasviewedasanessential
stepinbreakingdownisolationandstigma.Activelyseekingopportunitiestobeeffective
alliesinthefighttoendpovertyisessential.Workinginsolidaritytoensurethatevery
memberofourcommunitycanlivewithdignity,self-determinationandrespectisamoral
imperative.
“Wehavetoaskwhattherealcostofpovertyis.”
WinnieDoyle,Vice-president,ClinicalPrograms
andChiefNursingExecutive,St.Joseph’sHealthcare
6.ConclusionsandRecommendations
Thepurposeofthe2016HamiltonSocialAuditwastolistendeeplytotheexperiencesof
peoplewhoarelivinginpovertyinourcommunityandfromthattestimonytodraw
conclusionsandrecommendationsthatcouldinformeffortstofulfilltheOntario
government’sstatedcommitmenttoreducingandultimately,eradicatingpoverty.
Theurgencyofthistaskwascertainlycleartoallparticipantsfromthebeginningofthe
auditprocess.PovertycostsCanadiansbetween$72billionand$84billioneachyear.In
Ontario,10percentofthepopulationlivesinpoverty.Locally,oneinfiveHamiltoniansis
poorandthereareapproximately6,000namesonthewaitlistforaffordablehousing.Food
insecurityisadailyspecterinthelivesofboththeworkingpoorandsocialassistance
recipients,withnearly20,000peopleaccessingfoodbanksinthiscommunityeachmonth.
Thereisclearevidencetodemonstratethelossofproductivityandthemassivecoststo
healthcare,criminaljusticeandsocialservicesystemsassociatedwithmaintaining
individualsandfamiliesinpoverty.Theoftenharrowingaccountsofthe29peoplewho
participatedintheHamiltonSocialAuditbroughtintostarkrelieftheincredibleerosionof
39
dignityandhopethatresultsfromsubsistingonthemarginsofourcommunity.Againand
again,thepanelofauditorsheardabouttheisolation,stigmaandsquanderedhuman
potentialthatalltoooftendefinesthelivesofpoorpeople.
Theuniquebarriersandvulnerabilitiesfacedbywomen,Indigenouspeople,youthand
seniors,racializedindividualsandlesbian,gay,bisexual,trans,queerandtwospirited
identifiedpeoplereinforcedtheneedforanintersectionalanalysisofpovertyandtheuse
ofanequitylensindevelopingpolicyresponses.Itwasbothhumblingandalarmingtohear
suchadiversityofpersonalstoriesthatillustratedhoweasyitistoslipintotheabyssof
povertyandhowverydifficultorevenimpossibleitistofindawayout.
Despiteyearsofconsultationandpolicyworkbysuccessiveprovincialgovernments,the
landscapedoesnotseemtohavesignificantlychangedforthosedirectlyimpactedby
poverty.Whiletherehavebeensomewins,thelivedexperiencesofpeopledependenton
socialassistancebenefitsand/orthosestrugglingtosurvivethroughprecarious
employmentremaingrim.
Therecommendationsdrawnfromthe2017HamiltonSocialAuditcorrespondtothe
particularexperiencesandperspectivesofthe29peoplewhopresentedoverthreedaysin
April2016.TheyarenotintendedtoofferacomprehensiveresponsetopovertyinOntario,
butrathertoaddressthecoreconcernsidentifiedbytheseparticipants.
TheHamiltonSocialAuditpanelrecommendationsdonottouchontheOntario
government’sproposedBasicIncomepilotproject,sincetheideahadjustbeenannounced
andtherewerenodetailsavailablewhentheHamiltonauditwasconductedlastApril.
However,thepanelfeelsthatthefactthattheminimumpaymentisproposedtobe$1,320
permonth,andtheminimumforpeoplewithdisabilitiesisproposedtobeatleast$1,820,
underlinesthepanel’scontentionthatOntarioWorksandOntarioDisabilitySupport
Programbenefitsarefartoolow.
Thethemesthatemergedthroughthisauditandthesubsequentrecommendationsare
quiteconsistentwiththosemadebythiscommunityinits2010SocialAuditandwiththose
identifiedbyadvocatesacrossOntarioforyears.Thereisreallylittlenewtorecommend.
Thecomplexculturalandsystemictransformationthatmustoccurtoreduceand
ultimatelyendpovertyinthisprovincewillrequiresignificantinvestmentandan
unwaveringcommitmenttoanurgentmoralimperative.
“Faithorganizationsneedtopartner
withcommunityorganizations
tomakerealchange.”
FatherConO’Mahoney,VicarforEducation,
RomanCatholicDioceseofHamilton
40
Recommendations
1. SocialAssistanceReform
Thereissubstantialevidencepointingtothesignificantsocialandeconomic
benefitstobederivedfromcreatingasocialassistancebenefitstructurethat
providesadequateincomeforindividualsandfamilies.
ItisessentialthattheGovernmentofOntarioundertakemajorreformofOntario
WorksandtheOntarioDisabilitySupportProgram.Today’ssocialassistancerates
arenotevidence-basedanddonotreflecttherealcostoflivinginthisprovince.In
fact,thereisa25percentgapbetweenincreasestosocialassistanceratesandthe
risingcostoflivingsince1986.
Lackofsafeshelter,inadequatenutritionandsocialisolationareafactoflifefor
mostrecipients,asarethementalhealthissuesandchronicdiseasesthatare
disproportionatelyidentifiedinpeoplewhoarepoor.Infact,forpeoplelivingin
Hamilton,beingpoormeansfacingashorterlifeexpectancythanindividualsliving
abovethepovertyline.PeoplelivinginthepoorestcensustractinHamiltonhavea
lifeexpectancythatis21yearslessthanpeopleinthewealthiestcensustract.
Itisthereforeimperativethatthissystemberadicallytransformedtooffer
recipientstheopportunitytolivewithdignityandtothrive,toachieveeducational
andvocationalsuccessandtoparticipateasfully-engagedcitizensintheir
communities.Withoutradicaltransformation,Ontario’ssocialassistancesystem
willcontinuetoperpetuatepovertyratherthanalleviateit.
TheHamiltonSocialAuditpanelrecommendstheimplementationof
evidence-basedsocialassistanceratesbasedontheactualcosttomaintainan
adequateandequitablestandardoflivingforallrecipients.Itisrecommended
thatthesesocialassistanceratesbeindexedtothecostofliving.
Further,thepanelendorsesthecreationofaSocialAssistanceResearch
CommissionasproposedinBill6,aprivatemember’sbillpresentedby
HamiltonEast–StoneyCreekMPPPaulMiller.InSeptember2016,thisbill
unanimouslypassedsecondreading.Shoulditbecomelaw,theCommissionwould
beresponsiblefordefiningregionsinOntariobasedoneconomicgeographyto
determinecostoflivingineachregionandrecommendsocialassistanceratesbased
onthisdata.TheworkoftheSocialAssistanceResearchCommissionwouldbean
essentialfirststepinbuildingarational,evidence-basedsocialassistancesystem.
Further,thepanelencouragesthepublictojointheFixtheGapcampaign
thatispushingforapprovalofBill6aswellasforabroaddialogueabout
socialassistance.http://fixthegap.hamiltonpoverty.ca/
UntilthatCommissionexists,thepanelrecommendsthefollowing:
41
•
•
•
•
•
•
SingleadultrecipientsofOntarioWorksexperiencethedeepestpoverty.Whilethe
OntarioGovernmenthasincreasedtheOntarioWorksrateforsinglesmorequickly
thanothersocialassistancerates,ithasyettofullyundotheunprecedentedcuts
madebytheMikeHarrisgovernmentin1995,whentherateforasingleperson
wascut21.6percentto$520amonth.Adjustedonlyforinflation,withoutanyreal
increase,thatamountwouldbe$777today,$70morethantheactualratein
October2016.WerecommendanimmediateincreaseinOntarioWorksrates
forsinglesof$100/monthtoprovidethefirstreal(thatis,inflationadjusted)
increaseinthebasicOntarioWorkssincethe1995cuts.
In2008theGovernmentofOntariosetatargetofreducingchildpovertyby25per
cent.Whileitdidnotachievethatgoal,therateofchildpovertywasreducedby9.2
percentbetween2008and2011.Werecommendanimmediateincreasetothe
OntarioChildBenefitandthatallfutureincreasesbeindexedtothe
ConsumerPriceIndex.
Dentalcareisacontributingfactortooverallhealthandwell-being.Poordental
healthislinkedtoarangeofchronicdiseasesthatcanresultinsubstantialcoststo
thehealthcaresystem.Furthermore,untreateddentalproblemscannegatively
impactself-esteemandexacerbatethesocialisolationreportedbymanypeople
livingonfixedincomes.Werecommendacceleratedimplementationof
comprehensivepublicdentalcareforalllow-incomeadults.Wefurther
recommendthataccesstodentalservicesbefacilitatedinamannerthatdoes
notpromotefurtherstigmatizationofsocialassistancerecipients.
Inadequatenutritionandseverelyrestrictedaccesstofreshfoodwasaconcern
raisedbythemajorityofparticipantsintheSocialAuditprocess.Manyidentified
inadequatedietasamajorcontributortolowenergyandpoorhealth.Foodbanks
wereidentifiedasanecessaryresource—especiallyashighrentsforcerecipientsto
choosebetweenpayingrentandbuyingfood.Participantsstatedthatusingfood
banksistimeconsuming,degradingandoftenprovidesthemwithfoodthatisof
poornutritionalvalue.Theimplementationofahealthyfoodsupplementforall
socialassistancerecipientsshouldbeanimmediatepriorityforthe
provincialgovernment.
Manyparticipantsindicatedtheyfeltlittlehopethattheywouldeverbeableto
achievefinancialindependence.Employmentsupportservicesforthoseinreceipt
ofsocialassistancewerecitedasinadequateandgearedtowardlow-paying,
precariouswork.Participantsinthesocialauditalsoidentifiedthelackof
affordablechildcareandgapsinbenefitstosupportre-entryintotheworkforceas
significantbarrierstoemployment.Theneedfordeeperinvestmentin
employmentservices,affordablechildcareandextendedbenefitstosupport
sustainabletransitionbackintothelabourforcewereidentifiedasessential.
ParentsreceivetheCanadaChildBenefitonlyiftheyfileincometaxformseach
year.ThesameistrueofthefederalGSTtaxcreditandOntario’sTrilliumtax
benefits.Bothlevelsofgovernmentshouldencouragetaxfilingbylowincome
42
Canadians,andtheOntarioandmunicipalgovernmentsshouldrequiretheir
socialassistancecaseworkerstopromotetaxfilingtoreceivethesebenefits.
Communityeffortsshouldbeencouragedtobothpromoteandassistwithtax
filing.
2. WagesandPrecariousEmployment
Povertyisnottheexclusivedomainofthoselivingonfixedincomes.Currently,about
30,000peopleinHamiltonworkandliveinpoverty.Auditparticipantswhohadjobs
citedlowwages,insufficienthoursandlackofbenefitsasbarrierstosustaining
employment.
Precariousemployment,definedastemporary,casual,short-term,orself-employed
withoutemployees,hasincreasedbynearly50percentinthelasttwodecades.In
Hamilton57percentofworkersfallintothecategoryofinsecurelyemployed.Only21
percentoftheseworkershaveaccesstohealthbenefits.
Morethan58percentofminimumwageearnersarewomenand35percentare
racialized.Workersstrugglingwithpart-timeemployment,minimumwagepay,
insufficientchildcareoptions,andlackofhealthandretirementbenefitsoften
experiencehousinginstability,healthissuesanderosionoffamilylifeandlimitsto
communityparticipation—experiencesthatmirrorthoseofmanypeopleonsocial
assistance.
InmanyCanadianmunicipalities,includingHamilton,therehavebeeneffortsto
encouragepublicandprivateemployerstopaynotaminimumbutalivingwage.A
livingwageisthehourlywagerequiredtocoverbasicexpensesandtopermit
employeestonotjustsubsistbuttohaveaccesstothethingsthatmakeforadecent
qualifyoflife.Costsforhousing,utilities,food,childcare,transportation,internetaccess
andsocialinclusionscostssuchasrecreationprogramsareincludedinthecalculations.
Hamilton’slivingwageisnow$15.85anhour.
Paidemploymentshouldbeapathwayoutofpoverty.Toaddresstheissueof
precariousemploymentthepanelrecommends:
•
•
•
TheGovernmentofOntarioincreasetheminimumwageto$15/hourand
thenmaintainitscommitmenttomaintainyearlyincreasesinlinewiththe
rateofinflation.
TheGovernmentofOntarioimplementaprovincialuniversalhealth
benefitsprogramtoensurealllowincomeindividualshavetheabilityto
managehealthissuesandmaintainoptimalhealth
TheGovernmentofOntariosupporteffortstopromoteaLivingWageto
Ontarioemployers.
43
•
•
•
TheGovernmentofOntarioincreaseinvestmentineducationandskills
developmentthatwillsupportvulnerableworkersinachievinggreater
employmentstabilityandincreasedearningpotential.
TheCityofHamiltonapproveraisingthepayofallofitsemployeestoa
livingwageaspartofthe2017citybudget.
Hamiltonemployersareencouragedtojointhegrowinglistoflivingwage
employers,toadoptpracticesoffairschedulingforpart-timeworkersand
toshiftasmuchaspossibletofull-timeemployment.
3. Housing
ThevisionforHamilton’s10yearHousingandHomelessnessActionplanis
“Everyonehasahome...homeisthefoundation.”Itisafoundationthatmanyaudit
participantsstruggletoachieveandmaintain.Rapidlyescalatingrents,discriminating
landlords,poorbuildingconditions,timelimitedhousingallowancesandlongwaitsfor
subsidizedhousingmakehousinginstabilityamajorconcernforpeoplelivingin
poverty.
Investmentinaffordablehousingisaneconomicstimulus.Affordablehousing,
housingwithsupportsandhomelessnesspreventionservicesareessentialresources
forsomeofourcommunity’smostvulnerablecitizens.Theyarealsoinvestmentsthat
willpaydividendsfarintothefuturefortheentirecommunity.
Thepanelassertsthathousingisahumanrightandrecommends:
•
•
•
•
ThedevelopmentofnewahousingbenefitforlowincomeOntariansthat
wouldreducehighshelterburdens,extendhousingassistancetoworking
poorpeople,andreducebarrierstomoveoffandremainoffsocial
assistance.
Increasedinvestmentinaffordablehousingandcontinuedcollaboration
betweenalllevelsofgovernmenttoaddresstheaffordablehousingcrisis
provinciallyandnationally.
Theexpansionofportablehousingallowanceprogramstosupport
individualsandfamiliesincorehousingneedtofindandmaintain
adequatehousing.
Significantlyincreaseinvestmentinaffordablehousingwithsupportsfor
peoplelivingwithmentalillness,intellectualdisabilities,addiction,
concurrentdisorders(mentalillnessandaddictions)anddualdiagnosis
(co-existingintellectual/developmentaldisabilityandamentalhealth
diagnosis).
44
•
Increasedinvestmentinhomelessnesspreventionstrategies/programs
(e.g.alternativestoshelters,utilitiesassistanceetc.)
4. CultureShift-BuildingEquityandInclusion
Nobodywantstobepoorandyetweliveinaculturethatbothovertlyandcovertly
blamesthoselivinginpovertyfortheirplight.Thereisapervasivebeliefthatbeing
pooristheresultoflaziness,ignoranceandbadchoices.Thisprejudicefeedsthe
discriminationpeoplelivinginpovertyfaceandisperhapsusedtoexcuseourfailureto
takeaggressiveactiontoendpoverty.
Itisessentialthatwecollectivelyunpackthecomplexsocial,politicalandcultural
factorsthattrappeopleinpoverty.Itisalsoessentialthatweembraceanintersectional
analysisofpovertythatacknowledgesthedisproportionaterepresentationof
Indigenousandracializedpeople,women,peoplewithdisabilities,membersofLGBTQ2
communitiesandnewcomers.Itisonlyinsodoingthatwecanbegintheprocessof
buildinginclusive,resilientcommunityforallmembers.
Inordertofacilitateanessentialshiftinattitudesandfosteramoreinclusive
communityforpeopleaffectedbypoverty,itisrecommended:
•
•
•
Anti-oppressioneducationandpovertyawarenessbeintegratedintothe
Ontariocurriculumfromtheearliestgrades.
Thatadherencetoanti-oppressivepracticebeastandardrequirementfor
allgovernment-fundedservicesandagencies.
ThattheGovernmentofOntarioutilizeanequitylensinthedevelopment
ofsocialpolicyandinsettingfundingpriorities.
Therecommendationscontainedinthisreportarefarfromexhaustivebutrather
representanefforttocaptureandrespondtothemajorthemesandconcernsthatemerged
overthethreedaysoftheHamiltonSocialAudit.Thereweremanyvoicesandperspectives
thatwerenotcapturedoverthosethreedays.Forexample,theauditorsdidnothearabout
povertyfromaruralperspective.Norweretheconcernsofseniorsaffectedbypoverty
discussedinanydetail.
45
Appendix:
Sourcesofinformationfromsourcesoutsidethesocialauditevent
Introduction
19percentpovertyrate:SaraMayo,Hamilton’sEconomicRenaissance:Aprosperity
unevenlyshared;VitalSigns2015(Hamilton:HamiltonCommunityFoundation,2016),12,
accessedFebruary7,2017,http://hamiltoncommunityfoundation.ca/wpcontent/uploads/2016/01/VS-2015-FINAL_Jan.2016.pdf
Butpovertyisn’tjustbadluck
Internationalstatisticsonpovertyrates:PovertyRate,2013,”OECD,accessedJanuary
14,2017,https://data.oecd.org/inequality/poverty-rate.htmand“FamilyDatabase,”OECD,
accessedJanuary14,2017,http://stats.oecd.org/#
DennisRaphael,PovertyandPublicPolicyinCanada(Toronto:CanadianScholarsPress
Inc.,2007),12.
Livingwithtoolittlemoney
Theinformationonthepovertylineandupdateforinflation:Thepovertylineof$22,160
beforetaxincome:“Table3.2Low-incomemeasuresthresholds…forhouseholdsof
Canada,2010,”StatisticsCanada,accessedFebruary7,2017,
https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/ref/dict/table-tableau/t-3-2-eng.cfm;The
inflationfigureforCanadawasusedbecausethelowincomemeasureisaCanada-wide
figure.Theincreaseof9.2percentisfromInflationCalculator,BankofCanada,accessed
February7,2017,http://www.bankofcanada.ca/rates/related/inflation-calculator/which
producedanincomebeforetaxesof$24,216.
Ontario’sminimumwage:MinimumWageIncreasesforOctober1,2016,Ontario
MinistryofLabour,March18,2016,accessedJuly11,2016,
https://news.ontario.ca/mol/en/2016/03/minimum-wage-increases-for-october-12016.html
OntarioWorksandOntarioDisabilitySupportProgramfigures:“OW&ODSPRate
IncreasesandtheOntarioChildBenefitasofSeptember30,2016,”IncomeSecurity
AdvocacyCentre,accessedFebruary1,2017,
http://yourlegalrights.on.ca/sites/all/files/OW-and-ODSP-rates-and-OCB-as-of-Sept2016-ENGLISH.pdf;LaurieMonsebraaten,“Ontariotoendclawbackofchildsupportfor
parentsonwelfare,”TorontoStar,February25,2016,accessedJanuary26,2017,
https://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2016/02/25/ontario-to-end-clawback-ofchild-support-for-parents-on-welfare.htmland“AboutSocialAssistanceinOntario,”
MinistryofCommunityandSocialServices,accessedJuly6,2016,
http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/en/mcss/programs/social/
46
ThatOWandODSParenottaxable:“Line145-SocialAssistancePayments,”Canada
RevenueAgency,accessedJanuary26,2017,http://www.craarc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/tpcs/ncm-tx/rtrn/cmpltng/rprtng-ncm/lns101-170/145-eng.html
Historicalfiguresforsocialassistance:JohnStapleton,“It’stimetoendtheerosionof
publicassistanceinOntario,”TorontoStar,April26,2013,accessedJuly1,2016,
https://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2013/04/26/its_time_to_end_the_erosio
n_of_public_assistance_in_ontario.htmlandInflationCalculator,BankofCanada,accessed
January26,2017,http://www.bankofcanada.ca/rates/related/inflation-calculator/Also
JohnStapleton,The“WelfareDiet”20YearsLater:Thegrowingnutritioncrisisfor
Ontario’spoorestpeople,”OpenPolicyOntario,October2015,accessedJuly1,2016,
http://openpolicyontario.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Welfare-Diet-20-yearslater.pdf
An“unprecedentedcut”:MargaretLittle,“ALitmusTestforDemocracy:TheImpactof
OntarioWelfareChangesonSingleMothers,”StudiesinPoliticalEconomy66,Autumn2001,
16,accessFebruary7,2017,
http://spe.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/spe/article/viewFile/6702/3701..
Thecalculationofthecurrentvalueof$520forOntarioWorkswasbasedonConsumer
PriceIndex,historicalsummary,byprovince,StatisticsCanada,accessedFebruary5,2017,
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/econ150a-eng.htmThe
consumerpriceindexin1995was86.8andin2016,129.7.That’sanincreaseof49.42per
cent,whichwouldbring$520to$777in2016dollars.
AssetlimitsonOWandODSP:“IncomeSupport:TreatmentofAssets,”Ministryof
CommunityandSocialServices,accessedJanuary29,2017,
http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/en/MCSS/programs/social/odsp/income_support/assets.asp
xandOntarioWorksDirectives4.2AssetLimits,MinistryofCommunityandSocial
Services,accessedJanuary29,2017,
http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/documents/en/mcss/social/directives/ow/0402.pdf
Housing
Bedbugs:KevinWerner,“Hamiltontargetingbedbugsin$1millionstrategy,”Stoney
CreekNews,October19,2015,accessedJanuary30,2017,http://www.thespec.com/newsstory/5967685-hamilton-targeting-bed-bugs-in-1-million-strategy/
Humanrightsandrentalhousing:“Policyonhumanrightsandrentalhousing,”Ontario
HumanRightsCommission,accessedJanuary26,2017,http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/policyhuman-rights-and-rental-housing
Definitionsofaffordableandcorehousingneed:“HousinginCanadaOnline,”Canada
MortgageandHousingCorporation,accessedFebruary2,2017,
http://cmhc.beyond2020.com/HiCODefinitions_EN.html
47
ThefigureforaveragerentinHamiltonisfortheoldcityanddoesnotincludeAncaster,
Dundas,Flamborough,GlanbrookandStoneyCreek.“RentalMarketReport,Hamilton
CMA,”CanadaMortgageandHousingCorporation,2016,Table1.1.2,accessedJanuary26,
2017,https://www.cmhcschl.gc.ca/odpub/esub/64391/64391_2016_A01.pdf?fr=1485464174134
PercentageofHamiltonresidentswhopaymorethan30percentoftheirgrossincome
forhousing:NationalHouseholdSurveyProfile,Hamilton,C,Ontario,2011,Statistics
Canada,accessedMay18,2016,https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dppd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=3525005&Data=Count&SearchText
=Hamilton&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&A1=All&B1=All&GeoLevel=PR&GeoCode=
3525005&TABID=1
Thingsaregettingworse:SaraMayo,Hamilton’sEconomicRenaissance:Aprosperity
unevenlyshared,12,accessedApril9,2016,http://hamiltoncommunityfoundation.ca/wpcontent/uploads/2015/10/VS2015-FULL-FINAL.pdfand“RentalMarketReport,Hamilton
CMA,”CanadaMortgageandHousingCorporation,2016,Table1.1.2,accessedJanuary26,
2017,https://www.cmhcschl.gc.ca/odpub/esub/64391/64391_2016_A01.pdf?fr=1485464174134
Housingprices:“HotRealEstateMarkettoStarttheYear,”RealtorsAssociationof
Hamilton-Burlington,February3,2017,accessedFebruary7,2017,
http://www.rahb.ca/category/press-release/market-reports/;andKellyBennett,“Home
PricesincentralHamiltonrose88percentin10years,”CBCHamilton,February3,2016,
accessedFebruary7,2017,http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/news/homeprices-in-central-hamilton-rose-88-per-cent-in-10-years-1.3430479
Waitlistforsubsidizedhousing:“SocialHousingWaitlist,”HamiltonCommunity
WellnessIndicators,CityofHamilton,accessedJanuary27,2017,
https://d3fpllf1m7bbt3.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/media/browser/2015-0513/hcw-04-jan2017.pdf
TrilliumtaxbenefitandGSTcredit:LaurieMonsebraaten,“Ontario’ssoaringpovertygap
‘starkest’forsingleadultsaswelfareratesstagnate,”HamiltonSpectator,May9,2016,
accessedFebruary7,2017,http://www.thespec.com/news-story/6545540-ontario-ssoaring-poverty-gap-starkest-for-single-adults-as-welfare-rates-stagnate/
Food
Howmuchdoeshealtheatingcostin2015?,PublicHealthDepartment,CityofHamilton,
accessedJanuary30,2017,
http://hamilton.siretechnologies.com/sirepub/cache/2/zfyqxkldrtx31yxrvl5vjejq/101345
0130201702490975.PDF
48
Onfoodbanksandsocialassistance:“HungerCount:March2016,”HamiltonFoodShare,
accessedFebruary7,2017,https://www.hamiltonfoodshare.org/wpcontent/uploads/Hunger-Count-Report_2016.pdf
Isolationandstigma
AndrePicard,“AlltheLonelyPeople,”UnitedChurchObserver,June2016,26,accessed
onlineJuly12,2016,http://www.ucobserver.org/society/2016/06/lonely_people/
Studyoflabratsandaddiction:JohannHarel,“TheLikelyCauseofAddictionHasBeen
Discovered,andItIsNotWhatYouThink,”HuffingtonPost,accessedFebruary7,2017,
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/johann-hari/the-real-cause-of-addicti_b_6506936.html]
Otherformsofexclusion:Ethnicidentity,skincolour,genderandsexual
orientation
Ongroupswithhigherratesofpoverty:DennisRaphael,PovertyandPublicPolicyin
Canada(Toronto:CanadianScholarsPressInc.,2007),59.
OnHamilton’sBlackcommunity:NicoleO’Reilly,“Hamilton’sblackcommunityremains
greatesttargetofhatecrimes,”HamiltonSpectator,March25,2015,accessedJuly10,2016,
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/5523831-hamilton-s-black-community-remainsgreatest-target-of-hate-crimes/
OnHamiltonpolicestatisticsonstreetchecksorcarding:MollyHayes,“Hamiltonpolice
have‘carded’9,000since2010,”Spectator,July24,2015,accessedJuly10,2016,
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/5749150-hamilton-police-have-carded-9-000-since2010/
BlackandIndigenouspersonsintheHamilton-WentworthDetentionCentre:
“Aboriginals,blackpeopleover-representedatHamiltonjail,”CBCNews,December6,
2013,accessedJuly10,2016,
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/news/aboriginals-black-people-overrepresented-at-hamilton-jail-1.2451143
Indigenouspeoplesandpoverty:YvonneMaracle,SarahMayorandCindySueMontana
McCormack,“ProfileofHamilton’sAboriginalResidents,”SocialPlanningandResearch
CouncilofHamilton,accessedJuly10,2016,http://www.sprc.hamilton.on.ca/wpcontent/uploads/2015/04/Profile-of-Hamiltons-Aboriginal-Residents.pdf
OnIndigenouspeoplesandhealthcare:OurHealthCounts:UrbanAboriginalHealth
DatabaseResearchProject,CommunityReport,FirstNationsAdultsandChildren,Cityof
Hamilton,70,accessedJuly9,2016,http://www.ourhealthcounts.ca/images/PDF/OHCReport-Hamilton-ON.pdf
OnIndigenouspeoplefeelingdiscriminationinhealthcare:OurHealthCounts,60.
49
OnIntergenerationaltrauma:ErinHanson,“SixtiesScoop,”IndigenousFoundations,
FirstNationsandIndigenousStudies,UniversityofBritishColumbia,accessedJanuary28,
2017,http://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/home/government-policy/sixtiesscoop.html;andWilliamAguiarandRegineHalseth,AboriginalPeoplesandHistoric
Trauma:TheProcessofIntergenerationalTrauma(PrinceGeorge,B.C.:National
CollaboratingCentreforAboriginalHealth,2015),5,accessedJanuary28,2017,
http://www.nccah-ccnsa.ca/Publications/Lists/Publications/Attachments/142/2015-0428-AguiarHalseth-RPT-IntergenTraumaHistory-EN-Web.pdf
OntheLGBTQ2communityandpoverty:LGBTQpovertyMultigenerationalPovertyin
Canada,accessedJanuary26,2017,
http://newcomerspovertyswrk1006.blogspot.ca/2012/12/lgbtq-are-canadians-too.html
and“LGBTQ2YouthHomelessness,”HomelessHub,accessedJanuary26,2017,
http://homelesshub.ca/about-homelessness/population-specific/lesbian-gay-bisexualtransgender-transsexual-queer
Childrenandyouth
JulieCool,“ChildPovertyinCanada,”February5,2009,LibraryofParliamentResearch
Publications,GovernmentofCanada,accessedJanuary28,2017,
http://www.lop.parl.gc.ca/Content/LOP/ResearchPublications/prb0862e.htm#TheImpactandRitaPaul-SenGupta,MSc.,MargaretL.deWit,PhD,andDavid
McKeown,MDCMMHScFRCPC,TheImpactofPovertyontheCurrentandFutureHealth
StatusofChildren,PaediatricsandChildHealth,October12,2007,667-672,accessed
January28,2017,https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2528796/
“OW&ODSPRateIncreasesandtheOntarioChildBenefitasofSeptember30,2016,”
IncomeSecurityAdvocacyCentre,accessedFebruary1,2017,
http://yourlegalrights.on.ca/sites/all/files/OW-and-ODSP-rates-and-OCB-as-of-Sept2016-ENGLISH.pdf
CanadaChildBenefitrates:“CanadaChildBenefitCalculator,”GovernmentofCanada,
accessedFebruary1,2017,http://www.budget.gc.ca/2016/tool-outil/ccb-ace-en.html;
“familiesnowreceivingnewCanadaChildBenefit,”PrimeMinisterofCanada,July20,2016,
accessedFebruary1,2017,http://pm.gc.ca/eng/news/2016/07/20/families-nowreceiving-new-canada-child-benefit;andasitethatcomparesthenewbenefitwith
previousnationalchildbenefits,“CanadaChildBenefitcalculator,”MoneySense,accessed
February1,2017,http://www.moneysense.ca/save/taxes/canada-child-benefitcalculator/
ThatmanythousandsofHamiltonfamiliesdon’treceivetheCanadaChildBenefit:Tom
Cooper,personalcommunicationtoBillJohnston,February7,2017.
FamilyResponsibilityOffice:
http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/en/mcss/programs/familyResponsibility/
50
NotreDameHousefunding:“LeClusefamilyleadthedrivetosaveyouthprograms,”The
Shepherd,Summer2016,1,7,GoodShepherd,accessedJanuary27,2017,
file:///C:/Users/BillJohnston/Downloads/2016-Spring-Summer-Newsletter-website-1.pdf
Dentalhealth
Ashortsummaryofdentalprocesses:CityofHamiltonPublicHealthServices,“Oral
HealthServicesAvailabletoNewcomerstoHamilton,November24,2016,CityofHamilton,
accessedJanuary27,2017,10-15,
https://d3fpllf1m7bbt3.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/media/browser/2016-1125/newcomer-oral-health-services-hamilton.pdf
AsummaryofOntarioDisabilitySupportProgramdentalbenefits:“OntarioDisability
SupportProgram—IncomeSupportDirectives9.7DentalBenefits,MinistryofCommunity
andSocialServices,accessedJanuary27,2017,
http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/documents/en/mcss/social/directives/odsp/income_Support
/9_7.pdf
ThefulldescriptionofHamiltondentalcareprovisions:CityofHamiltonSpecial
SupportsProgram,“OntarioWorksAdult,LowIncome,ODSPAdultDependent
DiscretionaryAdultEmergencyDentalTreatmentPlan,ScheduleofBenefitsandFees,
EffectiveMarch1,2016,CityofHamilton,accessedJanuary27,2017,
https://d3fpllf1m7bbt3.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/media/browser/2016-0223/discretionary-adult-emergency-dental-treatment-plan-march12016.pdf
Transitioningfromsocialassistancetoemployment
EarningincomeonOntarioWorksorOntarioDisabilitySupportProgram:“Treatmentof
income:Whenyouworkandearnmoney,”MinistryofCommunityandSocialServices,
accessedJanuary29,2017,
http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/en/mcss/programs/social/odsp/income_support/odsp_work
earn.aspxand“AsanOntarioWorksclient:WhenyouearnmoneywhileonOntario
Works,”MinistryofCommunityandSocialServices,accessedJanuary29,2017,
http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/en/mcss/programs/social/ow/client/earning_Money.aspx
Impactofworkingonsubsidizedhousingrent:CatherinePort,“LindaChamberlain’sjob
wasmakingherbroke,”TorontoStar,November19,2010,accessedJanuary29,2017,
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2010/11/19/porter_linda_chamberlains_job_was_ma
king_her_broke.html;JohnStapleton,“ZeroDollarLinda:(Toronto:MetcalfeFoundation,
2010),accessedJanuary29,2017,http://www.metcalffoundation.com/wpcontent/uploads/2011/05/zero-dollar-linda.pdfandStevePoweroy,“Enhancingincome
potentialandselfsufficiencyforresidentsinmentalhealthsupportivehousing”(Toronto:
MainstayHousing,2012),accessedJanuary29,2017,http://www.focus-consult.com/wpcontent/uploads/2014/07/Concept-paper_-enhancing-self-sufficiency-.pdfandTD
Economics,WelfaretoWork,TDEconomics,2005,accessedJuly13,2016,17,
51
https://www.td.com/document/PDF/economics/special/td-economics-specialwelfare05.pdf
Impactofworkingonhealthbenefits:“AsanOntarioWorksclient:Whenyouearn
moneyonOntarioWorks;”“TreatmentofIncome:Whenyouworkandearnmoney,”and
“HowOntarioWorkscanhelpyou:EmploymentBenefits,MinistryofCommunityand
SocialServices,accessedJuly11,2016,
http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/en/mcss/programs/social/ow/client/earning_money.aspx,
http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/en/mcss/programs/social/odsp/income_support/odsp_work
earn.aspxand
http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/en/mcss/programs/social/ow/help/benefits/employment_be
nefits.aspx;2015MarginaltaxvsAverageTax,RetireHappy,accessedJuly11,2016,
http://retirehappy.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015-Average-vs-Marginal-Tax.pdf;and
HealthBenefitsWhenYouGoOffOntarioWorks,CommunityLegalEducationOntario,
accessedJuly11,2016,http://yourlegalrights.on.ca/sites/all/files/ow-ehb-e.pdf
TheCanadaHealthBenefit:CanadaChildBenefit,CanadaRevenueAgency,accessedJuly
11,2016,http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/gncy/bdgt/2016/qa01-eng.htmland“OntarioChild
Benefit,”MinistryofChildrenandYouthServices,accessedJuly11,2016,
http://www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/english/financialhelp/ocb/index.aspx
TheTDEconomicsreport:DonDrummondandGillianManning,FromWelfaretoWork
inOntario:StilltheRoadLessTravelled(TDEconomicsSpecialReport,September8,2005),
33,accessedJanuary30,2017,https://www.td.com/document/PDF/economics/special/tdeconomics-special-welfare05.pdf
Whathelps
BeginningTodayprogramandevaluation:BeginningTodayOWASIEvaluation,aspart
ofaninformationreporttotheEmergencyandCommunityServicesCommittee,November
11,2013,accessedJuly11,2016,http://www2.hamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyres/C0468829A6E6-4815-8567-0CA604B72907/0/Oct2253CS10086b.pdf
TheGoodFoodBox:“TheGoodFoodBox,”EnvironmentHamilton,accessedJanuary29,
2017,http://www.environmenthamilton.org/view/page/good_food_box
Recommendations
The21-yeardifferenceinlifespan:SteveBuist,“WorldsApart,”partoftheCodeRed
series,HamiltonSpectator,August25,2010,accessedFebruary7,2017,
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/2168237-worlds-apart/TheCodeRedInformation
hasbeenstatisticallyverifiedbyaMcMasterprofessor:PatrickF.DeLucaandPavlosS.
Kanaroglou,“CodeRed:ExplainingAverageAgeofDeathintheCityofHamilton,AIMS
PublicHealth,20152(4)730-745,accessedFebruary21,2017,
http://www.aimspress.com/article/10.3934/publichealth.2015.4.730/fulltext.html
52
$72-$84billioncostofpoverty:“Basicstatisticsabouttherealitiesofpovertyfacedby
Canadians,”CanadawithoutPoverty,accessedFebruary7,2017,http://www.cwpcsp.ca/poverty/just-the-facts/and“HowexpensiveispovertyinCanada?”Canadawithout
Poverty,accessedFebruary7,2017,http://www.cwp-csp.ca/poverty/the-cost-of-poverty/
andNateLaurie,TheCostofPoverty:AnAnalysisoftheEconomicCostofPovertyinOntario
(Toronto:OntarioAssociationofFoodBanks,November2008),19,accessedFebruary7,
2017,https://www.oafb.ca/assets/pdfs/CostofPoverty.pdfwhich,althoughfocusedon
Ontario,doesshowtotalprivateandpubliccostsforCanadaof$72.5billionto$86.1
billion.
25percentgapbetweenincreasestosocialassistance:CarmelaFragomeni,“Poverty
Levelsnobetterthan10yearsago,”HamiltonSpectator,January29,2016,accessed
February7,2017,http://www.thespec.com/news-story/6253522-poverty-levels-nobetter-than-10-years-ago/
Currently,30,000peopleinHamilton:HamiltonRoundtableforPovertyReduction
Submissionforthe2015OntarioBudget,February15,2015,accessedFebruary7,2017,
http://hamiltonpoverty.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/HRPR-Ontario-Pre-BudgetSubmission-2015-final.pdf
Consumerpriceindex,byprovince(Ontario),2012-2016,StatisticsCanada,accessed
February5,2017,http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sumsom/l01/cst01/econ09g-eng.htm
KevinWerner,“Hamilton’slivingwageissuemustwaituntil2017budgetdiscussions,”
StoneyCreekNews,December8,2016,accessedFebruary7,2017,
http://www.hamiltonnews.com/news-story/7010003-hamilton-s-living-wage-issue-mustwait-until-2017-budget-discussions/
53