Send an email TODAY to urge government to meet their commitment to a Social Assistance Review.
In Breaking the Cycle: A Poverty Reduction Strategy for Ontario, government said:
We will undertake a review of social assistance with the goal of removing barriers and increasing opportunity – with a particular focus on people trying to move into employment from social assistance. The review will seek to better align social assistance and other key programs and initiatives, better communicate program rules and ensure that programs as a collective work to achieve the aims of increasing opportunity for the individual.
One year has almost passed, but no review has yet been announced.
Complete the form below and send a message to the Premier, Minister Meilleur, and Minister Broten – the new Minister Responsible for Poverty Reduction.
Now, more than ever, Ontario needs them to show leadership and ensure everyone can contribute to and benefit from the province’s prosperity.
For more information, check out the Toronto Star Editorial from October 27th written by Jennefer Laidley of ISAC and Pat Capponi of Voices from the Street on behalf of the 25 in 5 Network for Poverty Reduction.
Monetary assistance is required to help those on social assistance to recieve training so that they may be able to join the work force. Would not a year’s expenses to cover the costs of living plus educational assistance be cost saving in the long run?
The actions taken and extended to our community to date are token gestures and questionable at best.
Four reports on homelessness five committees three round tables and two talking circles.. populated by city council members and attended by our local Members of Parliament. ( I refuse to call them honorable )
Despite the provincial governments commitment to reducing poverty by 25%. To date all that’s been accomplished in our community is a 500 thousand dollar cutback to services and programs.
I’m a recipient of ODSP and a humanitarian to the core. I’ve helped one woman who was living in a tent. I opened a room that DSSAB deemed ineligible for recent retrofit funding.
There’s always room for one more..
I stopped a woman from eating out of a dumpster. I gave her my food bank rations.. because it was decided at an administrative level, that people would only be allowed to access food banks once every three months.
I couldn’t allow myself to turn my back on an elderly woman who was sleeping in her car. It was decided that our woman’s shelter couldn’t help because she was not running from an abusive situation.
I called the shelter and reminded them that people can not run from this type of municipal abuse.
There is no shelter from narrow minded policies..
These do nothing reports and malicious cutbacks immediately following the province’s so called commitment to poverty reduction are beyond insulting.. it’s an indicator of a genocide by pen.
The real revolution will not be televised.. Protester’s will be profiled as a threat to national security & Patriots will be labeled as terrorists.
Welcome to your New World Order..
I have interviewed single moms on welfare throughout Ontario for more than 2 decades now. It is criminal that they tell me that they cannot afford to eat 3 meals a day. It is criminal that some of them tell me that they are forced to return to abusive ex-partners in order to survive. Please raise my taxes so you can raise the welfare rates to a level that allows others to eat and have a safe roof over their heads.