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NEWS AND
MEDIA
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Updates in Poverty Reduction:
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Report Released on cutting poverty in Ontario by 2020 - September 2008
The Ontario Association of Food Banks (OAFB) released a new report entitled Our Choice for a
Better Ontario: A Plan to Cut Poverty in Half by 2020. The report outlines more than 24 ideas for improving conditions for Ontario's low-income families,
and suggests that if the province could cut poverty in half by 2020 that more than 500,000 people would be affected. Based on focus groups of over 70 food
bank users from across the province, the report highlights the need for affordable financial services and public housing. The 63-page report was submitted
to the province's Cabinet Committee on Poverty Reduction, and is one of approximately 600 submissions the committee has received since they began their
work this spring. For more information, please visit: www.oafb.ca. The full report may be viewed by clicking here.
Fast Facts for
Waterloo Region:
-
Ontario Works Service Plan 2006-2007 reveals that:
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Waterloo Region has one of the lowest unemployment rates in Ontario and the labour market continues
to be one of the strongest in Ontario.
- Opportunities to enter the workforce without formal education and specific training skills are limited and continuing to decrease. Fifty percent of Ontario Works participants have not completed high school or an equivalent level of education and 11% have completed less than grade 9.
- The Ontario Works caseload in Waterloo Region has decreased by 64% since it peaked in 1995.
- The average caseload in 2005 was 6,175 cases, representing 13,898 individuals.
- Of the cases in 2005 47% were single cases, 40% were sole-support parents, 10% were couples with children, and 3% were couples without children.
- In October 2005, 57% of individuals were 18 or older while 43% of individuals on caseloads were 17 or younger.
- The average length of time on assistance in October 2005 was 18.6 months.
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According to a
2003 Healthy Communities
Report by the Region of Waterloo:
- Statistics Canada data indicate that in Waterloo Region for every family in the lowest income quintile (annual income of less than $14,953) there are 5 families in the highest income quintile (annual income of more than $69,075). Even though Waterloo Region has a smaller portion of people in the lowest income quintile, this represents a greater economic disparity than both Ontario (ratio of 1:4) and Canada (ratio 1:3).
- Charitable donations in Waterloo Region are higher than other communities and the national average.
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The
Food Bank of Waterloo Region indicates
that:
- With every $1 donated the Food Bank shares $8 worth of emergency food in our community.
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It shares over 3 million pounds of food to 25,500 different individuals each year with the help of
65 member agencies and food programs.
- There is a growing need for food assistance for people on fixed incomes, the elderly, and people working in low paying positions. In 2005, 28% of food hampers went to people who were earning income (part-time employment, full-time employment, employment insurance). 32% of food hampers went to individuals on Ontario Works, 21% of hampers went to people with disabilities, and 3% of hampers went to people receiving Old Age Pension.
- Children under the age of 18 represent 47% of all food hamper recipients.
- There were 61,364 emergency food hampers provided in 2006 compared to 62,349 in 2005.
385,638 meals were served in 2006 compared to 398,147 meals served in 2005.
- Approximately 5% of Waterloo Region residents needed food assistance in 2006.
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According to
The Homelessness and Housing Umbrella Group:
- In the Region of Waterloo, 2653 individuals
accessed emergency shelter services in 2005.
- There are approximately 4,000 Households, representing about 10,000 women, men and children in Waterloo Region waiting for Community Housing. It may take several years before they are offered they are offered housing.
- There were 27,080 tenant households (43.2%) paying over 30% of income rent in 2002.
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The
Region of Waterloo Public Health (2006) indicates that
- More than one fifth of our regional population were immigrants according to the
2001 Census.
- The Waterloo Region area has the fifth
highest per capita immigrant population of all urban areas in Canada.
- 14, 305 of immigrants in the Region moved
to Canada in the last five years.
- While recent immigrants are more highly
educated now than those of past decades, they are more likely to live on a
low income
- Over 33% of recent immigrants in Waterloo
Region lived on low income in 2000. In comparison, just under 10% of local
Canadian-born individuals lived on low income
- The unemployment rate for recent immigrants
in Waterloo Region is almost 14% compared to 5% for Canadian-born
individuals
Media Coverage:
Our region should strive to be an innovation capital -
Dan Glenn-Graham. The Record. April 13, 2007.
Fight poverty with a positive outlook -
Brent Davis. The Record. April 4, 2007.
Poverty’s toll: “I’m not the parent I wish I could be” -
Brian Caldwell. The Record. March 31, 2007.
Portal opens doors for the 'hard-to-employ' -
Frank Etherington. The Record. May 26, 2006.
When just having a job isn't enough.
Frank Etherington. The Record. October 29, 2005.
Suffer the children: The struggle to keep
families afloat. The Record, September 17, 2005.
YES for Youth in Waterloo Region.
Tamarack: Engage! Vol. II, no. 6, p. 3, March 24, 2005.
Building Community through Partnership:
Speaker Notes for "Building a Winning Community: Visions and Challenges for the
New City of Hamilton." Eric Leviten. Caledon Institute of Social
Policy. April 5, 2001.
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