Demand for everything from food assistance to suicide counselling has surged. Donations, especially from the private sector, have fallen off sharply.
The sector's predicament is laid out in detail in a 32-page report, released this week by the Social Planning Network of Ontario. It is called Hard Hit: Impact of the Economic Downturn on Non-profit Community Social Services.
Ontario is missing out on a significant economic payoff by offering a scaled-down version of full-day learning this fall, says a report being released Monday. A new economic analysis of the initiative outlined by the premier’s early learning adviser last spring shows an immediate return of $2.02 for every dollar invested in operations and $1.47 for every dollar spent on new classrooms, says the report, obtained by the Star.
ARCH Disability Law Centre, dedicated to advancing the rights of people with disabilities, says its campaign was prompted by “an alarming and growing trend of adults with intellectual disabilities being unable to afford vital supports that would facilitate their development, independence and participation in the community. “This crisis is growing and we need your help,” ARCH says.
A new report says a “radical transformation” of mental health and addiction care is needed in Ontario if people are to receive the help they need.
One in 10 Windsor-Essex families live in poverty, causing a huge jump in demand at local food banks and lineups for social assistance, according to a new United Way report.
In March, the province announced that it intended to replace a food supplement program for eligible welfare recipients because it was “not sustainable” and “not achieving the intended results.” Now, Ontario’s most needy are waiting to see what the new program will look like when it is introduced as early as next month.
Close Encounters of the Thirties Kind, by social policy expert John Stapleton, is a blow-by-blow account of the similarities between Ontario circa 1930s and today.
