REALITY CHECK. Poverty in Windsor-Essex

Transcription

1 REALITY CHECK Poverty in Windsor-Essex

2 Making Poverty Everyone s Business P2P is a City of Windsor and County of Essex funded initiative to reduce and prevent poverty in Windsor-Essex. Defining Poverty Poverty results from barriers to social and economic resources that prevent well-being and access to opportunities in the community. Some of these opportunities include: Economic Security Employment Income and Public Income Supports Basic Needs Housing, Transportation, Child Care and Food Security Education and Skills Training Physical and Mental Health Services Full Participation in Society Our mission: Together we will reduce poverty and ensure the social and economic well-being of residents who live in Windsor-Essex. Our aspiration: Windsor-Essex is a thriving community where every family and individual builds potential through access to quality opportunities, supports, and resources that work for them. The unfortunate reality is that the average family in Windsor-Essex might be a job loss, wage decrease, or illness away from living in poverty.

3 Poverty in Windsor-Essex is a reality. In our community, 7,910 people live in poverty, as defined by Statistics Canada s Low Income Measure. 1 Population groups in Windsor-Essex experiencing poverty 2 SENIORS % COUPLE FAMILIES 1.1% 22.1% Low Income Measure (LIM) Statistics Canada s definition of LIM: a fixed percentage (0%) of median adjusted economic family income, where adjusted indicates that family needs are taken into account. Canada s Low Income Measure by Household Size in 2011 After Tax Income Size of Family Unit Year 1 Person 19,90 2 Persons 28,18 Persons,20 Persons 9,80 Persons, Living Wage A living wage reflects what earners in a family need to earn to cover all of their annual expenses, In the Windsor Area 91,170 residents work and make less than $20,000 a year. Ontario s minimum wage currently sits at $11 per hour, $10.0 per hour for students and will increase to $11.2 per hour, $10. per hour for students, on October 1, Student wage applies to students under 18 years of age if they work 28 hours a week or less when school is in session, or if they are employed during a school break or summer holidays. Minimum Wage just doesn t add up. Making minimum wage, full time (7. hours per week), 2 weeks a year amounts to a gross income of $21,0 per year ($21,98 after October 1, 201). The living wage for Windsor-Essex (valid through July 201) is $1.10 per hour with benefits (i.e., healthcare/medical), and $1.1 per hour without benefits. Making a living wage of $1.10 per hour amounts to a gross income of $2, per year. MONTHLY INCOME FOR AN INDIVIDUAL $ Income Source Comparison for Single Adult in Relation to Low Income Measure LIM = $1, $ $1,098 $1,787.0 $1,828.1 $2,128.7 CHILDREN NON-FAMILY PERSONS LONE PARENT FAMILIES 0.%.1% 0% % 10% 1% 20% 2% 0% % 0% after government transfers and deductions. It is calculated using the actual cost of living for a specific community. 1 Data Tables produced by the Canadian Council on Social Development (ccsd.ca) Community Analytics Service using data available from its Community Data Program (communitydata.ca) and provided to Windsor-Essex by Tamarack-An Institute for Community Engagement, Vibrant Communities Canada Cities Reducing Poverty. 2 Data Tables produced by the Canadian Council on Social Development (ccsd.ca) Community Analytics Service using data available from its Community Data Program (communitydata.ca) and provided to Windsor-Essex by Tamarack-An Institute for Community Engagement, Vibrant Communities Canada Cities Reducing Poverty. Canada. Statistics Canada. Low Income Lines, Catalogue no. 7F0002M, no. 002, 201. Accessed February 2, Canada. Statistics Canada. Table Low Income Measures by Income Source and Household Size, 2011 Constant Dollars, Annual (dollars). CANSIM (database) Accessed February 2, livingwagewe.ca Many residents cannot afford the expenses that others take for granted. They struggle to meet their basic needs of shelter and food. Canada. Statistics Canada. National Household Survey (NHS) Profile 2011, Windsor, CMA, Ontario. Catalogue no XWE February 2, Canada. Ontario. Ontario Ministry of Labour, Your Guide to the Employment Standards Act, 2000: Minimum Wage. Ottawa: Queen s Printer for Ontario, 201. Accessed February 2, Income Security Advocacy Centre. Current social assistance rates Accessed on March 2, Canada. Ontario. Ontario Ministry of Labour, Your Guide to the Employment Standards Act, 2000: Minimum Wage. Ottawa: Queen s Printer for Ontario, 201. Accessed February 2, Working for a Living Wage Brochure, Pathway to Potential. Calculation based on: National Framework for a living wage Accessed April 1, ONTARIO WORKS ODSP MINIMUM WAGE at 7. hours per week before October 1, 201 MINIMUM WAGE at 7. hours per week after October 1, 201 WINDSOR-ESSEX LIVING WAGE

4 Though poverty cuts across Canada s social boundaries, and can affect anyone, certain demographic groups are overrepresented among those living in poverty and have been captured here in this report. Poverty rates among different groups in Canada.2 Poverty Rate: (%) 1.% Overall Poverty Rate: 1.9% SENIORS 17.% YOUTH (AGE 1-2) 1.% Approximately.8 million people in Canada are living in poverty.1 NON-ABORIGINAL IDENTITY 2.% ABORIGINAL IDENTITY 10% COUPLES WITH CHILDREN 28.% UNATTACHED ADULTS.8% FEMALE LONE PARENT FAMILIES 1.% NON-IMMIGRANTS.2% RECENT IMMIGRANTS 0% % 10% 1% 20% 2% 0% % Citizens for Public Justice. The Burden of Poverty: A Snapshot of Poverty across Canada. Ottawa: Citizens for Public Justice, 201. Accessed on February 2, Citizens for Public Justice. The Burden of Poverty: A Snapshot of Poverty across Canada. Ottawa: Citizens for Public Justice, 201. Accessed on February 2, %

5 1 in people that you pass on the street in Windsor-Essex currently live in poverty.1 1 Canada. Statistics Canada. National Household Survey (NHS) Profile 2011, Windsor, CMA, Ontario. Catalogue no XWE Accessed February 2,

6 My classmates are on a field trip. My parents kept me home because they didn t have the $10 for me to go. Roughly 1 out of (19,10) children and youth in Windsor-Essex live in poverty.1 Of these 19,10, 1, children and youth live in Windsor.2 Food banks in Ontario served.7% of their meals, a total of 2,19, to children in % of low-income children live in two-parent families. Nearly 0% of children living in poverty in Ontario live in a family where at least 1 parent is working the equivalent of a full-time, full-year job. Children who live in poverty are more likely as adults to develop a range of diseases and have lower life expectancy. Data Tables produced by the Canadian Council on Social Development (ccsd.ca) Community Analytics Service using data available from its Community Data Program (communitydata.ca) and provided to Windsor-Essex by Tamarack-An Institute for Community Engagement, Vibrant Communities Canada Cities Reducing Poverty. Data Tables produced by the Can adian Council on Social Development (ccsd.ca) Community Analytics Service using data available from its Community Data Program (communitydata.ca) and provided to Windsor-Essex by Tamarack-An Institute for Community Engagement, Vibrant Communities Canada Cities Reducing Poverty. The Unemployed Help Centre of Windsor, Inc., personal communication, February 2, 201. National Council on Welfare, Poverty Profile 2007: Children Living in Poverty, No., Anita Khanna. 201 Report card on child and family poverty in Ontario: Child Poverty, 2 Years Later: We Can Fix This. Toronto: Ontario Campaign 2000, 201. Accessed on March 2, Dominique Fleury. Low income children. Statistics Canada Perspectives. Catalogue no X Accessed February 2,

7 We both work. We should be able to send our son on a school field trip, but we budget every dollar and $10 just isn t available. Almost 2% of Ontario workers earn wages below the poverty line.1 I n Windsor-Essex, a minimum wage earner working full time makes an average of $1,0 a month, only $28 more than the Low Income Measure (LIM). 12% of adults accessing food banks are currently employed.2 Households with the lowest income spent 1.8% of their budget on shelter, food, and clothing as compared to those with the highest income who spent 28.7%. Almost half of Canadians feel they are 1 to 2 paycheques away from being poor. Ontario Common Front. Falling Behind, A Report of the Ontario Common Front. Toronto: Ontario Common Front, Accessed on February 2, Food Banks Canada. Hunger Count 201. Toronto: Food Banks Canada, 201. Accessed on February 2, Canada. Statistics Canada. Survey of Household Spending, Released January 29, 201. Accessed on February 2, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Growing Gap, Growing concerns: Canadian Attitudes Toward Income Inequality

8 I have worked all my life, raised a family, and contributed all that I could only to retire into poverty. Windsor-Essex has,00 seniors.1 % (,70) of seniors in Windsor-Essex live in poverty.2 Between 200 and 2011, the poverty rate among Canadian seniors rose by 2%. The poverty rate for single female seniors is over 0%, while the rate for single male seniors is over 20%. More than 1 in 10 Windsor seniors were still working in 201. Old age benefits vs Poverty: Average monthly CPP benefit* $0. Average monthly OAS benefit* $. Average monthly GIS benefit* $7.7 Total $ Poverty Line** $1.08 * October 201 average benefits ** Poverty line for a single person in a city of 00,000 or more Data Tables produced by the Canadian Council on Social Development (ccsd.ca) Community Analytics Service using data available from its Community Data Program (communitydata.ca) and provided to Windsor-Essex by Tamarack-An Institute for Community Engagement, Vibrant Communities Canada Cities Reducing Poverty. 2 Data Tables produced by the Canadian Council on Social Development (ccsd.ca) Community Analytics Service using data available from its Community Data Program (communitydata.ca) and provided to Windsor-Essex by Tamarack-An Institute for Community Engagement, Vibrant Communities Canada Cities Reducing Poverty. Canadian Labour Congress, Labour s Plan for Retirement Security: How It Works for Everyone. Retirement Security for Everyone Pamphlet. Ottawa: Canadian Labour Congress, 201. Canadian Labour Congress, Labour s Plan for Retirement Security: How It Works for Everyone. Retirement Security for Everyone Pamphlet. Ottawa: Canadian Labour Congress, 201. Canadian Labour Congress. Retirement Security for Everyone: Ontario. Retirement Security for Everyone Pamphlet. Ottawa: Canadian Labour Congress, 201. Canadian Labour Congress, Labour s Plan for Retirement Security: How It Works for Everyone. Retirement Security for Everyone Pamphlet. Ottawa: Canadian Labour Congress,

9 I came to Canada to work as a radiologist, but my qualifications were not recognized. I had to work a minimum wage job while updating my credentials. Later, I still couldn t find a job in my field. I returned to India, frustrated and disappointed. Many immigrants have high levels of education, and often find their training and work experience from other countries undervalued in Canada.1 I mmigrants and refugees in Ontario are at risk for homelessness due to poverty, discrimination, cuts to social programs, lack of housing services, and a lack of information about their rights.2 % of immigrants live in poverty, while 12% of non-racialized and non-immigrant populations live in poverty. Windsor Area No post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree 1 in people in Windsor-Essex are an immigrant. Post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree 1 0,10 recent immigrants settled in Windsor-Essex between 200 and According to the 200 census for the Windsor area, 21.87% of immigrants have a post-secondary certificate, diploma, or degree versus non-immigrants at 11.9% % 11.9% Immigrants Colour of Poverty. Fact Sheet #: Understanding the Racialization of Poverty in Ontario, Accessed on February 2, Colour of Poverty. Fact Sheet #: Understanding the Racialization of Poverty in Ontario, Accessed on February 2, Campaign Report Card on Child and Family Poverty in Canada. Toronto: Family Service Toronto, 201. Access on February 2, Windsor Essex Local Immigration Partnership. Our mosaic: a snapshot of diversity in Windsor-Essex. 201 Brochure. Windsor Essex Local Immigration Partnership. Our mosaic: a snapshot of diversity in Windsor-Essex. 201 Brochure. 1 Non-immigrants

10 Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) is a social assistance program that provides financial and employment support for those with a disability. The ODSP Act defines disability as a physical or mental impairment that is continuous or recurrent, and expected to last one year or more. The effect of the impairment must have a direct and cumulative effect on a person s ability to perform activities of daily living, such as personal care and functioning at work or in the community. 1 ODSP benefits per month are approximately as follows: 2 ODSP Recipient: Benefits: Single $ 1,098 Single parent + one child $ 1,2 Single parent + two children $ 1,79 *note how a single parent with one child would get $2 for that child, but a single parent with two children gets only $9 for each child. I have a severe mental illness that keeps me from working, but the income from my disability benefits keeps me stuck in poverty. It s hard to cope when every month I m worried about how I m going to get my basic needs met. ODSP recipients are 11 times more likely to be unemployed compared to those not receiving social assistance. Maximum income for an individual on ODSP is $1,17 per year; LIM (Low Income Measure) is $19,90. Most people who have a disability live below the poverty line because they are not able to get full-time and well-paying jobs. Social assistance only covers the most basic necessities. Of the 27,00 ODSP applications granted in , about 0% of clients had a mental illness. 9% of food bank clients rely on either Ontario Works or ODSP as primary means of support for day to day living. 7 1 Canada. Ontario. Ministry of Community and Social Services. ODSP Information Sheet. Modified August 1, Accessed on November 2, Income Security Advocacy Centre. Current social assistance rates Accessed on September 29, John Stapleton, Stephanie Procyk, and Lindsay Kochen. What stops us from working? New ways to make work pay, by fixing the treatment of earnings under the Ontario Disability Support Program Accessed on November 2, Income Security Advocacy Centre. Current social assistance rates Accessed on September 29, Canada. Statistics Canada. Table Low income measures by income source and household size, 2011 Constant Dollars, Annual (dollars). CANSIM (database) Accessed February 2, Community Living Ontario. ODSP: Did you know? Accessed on September 29, Frances Lankin and Munir Sheikh. Brighter Prospects: Transforming Social Assistance in Ontario - A Report to the Minister of the Community and Social Services Accessed on February 2, Ontario Association of Food Banks, Hunger Report November 201: A Comprehensive Report on Hunger and Food Bank Use in Ontario and Recommendations for Change. Toronto: Ontario Association of Food Banks, 201. Accessed on November 18,

11 I am on social assistance and can barely make ends meet, but many people just think I am trying to work the system. Ontario Works (OW) is a social assistance program that provides employment and income support for individuals who are in financial need. To qualify for OW, applicants must be a resident of Ontario, in immediate financial need, be willing to participate in employment assistance programs/activities, and have limited assets. OW assesses personal information such as family size, income, assets, and housing costs to determine the amount of money the individual will receive. Additionally, they may receive other benefits, such as medical and dental coverage.1 The monthly average of OW recipients in Windsor-Essex was 21,77 in Individuals are required to liquidate their assets; they must have less than $2,00 in liquid assets (such as savings, investments, house and car) to be eligible for social assistance. An individual on OW lives more than $11,000 below the Low Income Measure annually. Well over 1,000 OW recipients reside outside of Windsor in areas of Essex County that do not have public transportation. These recipients are able and willing to accept available employment, but face transportation barriers (i.e., lack of available and reliable transportation). OW Benefits per Month: OW Recipient(s) Benefits Single Single Parent + 1 child Single Parent + 2 children Couple Couple + 1 child under 18 $ $1,00 $1,212 $1,0 $1,227 Current Social Assistance Rate, Income Security Advocacy Center, 201 Ministry of Community and Social Services. Ontario Works Accessed September 21, City of Windsor, Social Services Department, personal communication, October 1, 201. Ministry of Community and Social Services. Ontario Works Policy Directives Accessed September 29, Canada. Statistics Canada. Table Low income measures by income source and household size, 2011 Constant Dollars, Annual (dollars). CANSIM (database). (201). Accessed September 29, The City of Windsor, Employment and Social Services Department, personal communication, February 10, 201. Income Security Advocacy Centre. Current social assistance rates Accessed on March 2,

12 I graduated from college and have a job offer for $11 an hour ($88 per day). The average childcare cost is $ per day. There is a wait list for the childcare subsidy program. What do I do? Approximately,000 children in Windsor-Essex who live in poverty today will not escape the cycle of poverty as adults.1 Of single parents in the Windsor area, single mothers make up 81%.2 1.8% of female-led lone parent families in the Windsor area live in poverty. A single mom is almost times as likely as a 2-parent family to live in poverty in Windsor-Essex County. At.%, Windsor-Essex has the highest proportion of the low income population living in very low income neighborhoods. A single mother of two, earning a low wage, will spend between % and 7% of her monthly income on food and shelter alone. Ontario students graduating with debt in 2009 owed an average of $2,778.7 In 2009, more than 1 in children of single mothers lived in poverty, compared to 1 in 9 children in two-parent families in Ontario.8 Single fathers 19% Breakdown of single parents in the Windsor area by gender United Way/Centraide Windsor-Essex County. The Cost of Poverty in Windsor-Essex County. Windsor: United Way/Centraide, 201. Accessed on February 2, Data Tables produced by the Canadian Council on Social Development (ccsd.ca) Community Analytics Service using data available from its Community Data Program (communitydata.ca) and provided to Windsor-Essex by Tamarack-An Institute for Community Engagement, Vibrant Communities Canada Cities Reducing Poverty. United Way/Centraide Windsor-Essex County. The Cost of Poverty in Windsor-Essex County. Windsor: United Way/Centraide, 201. Accessed on February 2, United Way/Centraide Windsor-Essex County. The Cost of Poverty in Windsor-Essex County. Windsor: United Way/Centraide, 201. Accessed on February 2, United Way/Centraide Windsor-Essex County. The Cost of Poverty in Windsor-Essex County. Windsor: United Way/Centraide, 201. Accessed on February 2, Cost of Poverty Health Canada. Food and nutrition: National nutritional food basket Accessed on November 2, The Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation. The Price of Knowledge: Access and Student Finance in Canada - Fourth Edition Ontario Common Front. Falling Behind, A Report of the Ontario Common Front. Toronto: Ontario Common Front, Accessed on February 2, Single mothers 81%

13 People don t see how hard I work to keep my family together. I want my kids to have real opportunities,but discrimination is a sad reality. Ontario has the largest Indigenous population of all provinces and they are more likely than non-indigenous to live in poverty, experience disability and face unemployment. 1 In Windsor, % of the Indigenous population was living in poverty in The average child poverty rate for all Indigenous children is 0%, in contrast to 17% for non-indigenous children. In Ontario, the average individual income for the Indigenous population is $21,822 compared to $,027 for the non-indigenous population. That is approximately $11,000 less per year. In 2010, the unemployment rate for the Indigenous population was 12.%, far higher than the non-indigenous workforce. In Canada, 22% of the Indigenous population 12 and older live in households that experience food insecurity, in contrast to 7% of the non-indigenous population. 1 Ontario Common Front. Falling Behind, A Report of the Ontario Common Front. Toronto: Ontario Common Front, Accessed on February 2, Dianne Patychuck, Health Equity Council and Health Nexus. Health Equity and Racialized Groups: A Literature Review. (2011). Campaign Report Card on Child and Family Poverty in Canada Accessed on February 2, Renfrew County and District Aboriginal Friendship Centre Bonnechere Algonquin Community. A Profile of Aboriginal People in Ontario. (2007). Ontario Common Front. Falling Behind, A Report of the Ontario Common Front. Toronto: Ontario Common Front, Accessed on February 2, Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health survey,

14 My parents kicked me out. I was staying at friends houses, but that only works so long. I need to get to the city and find a place to stay. As of January 201, the youth unemployment rate in the Windsor area was 1%.1 The city of Windsor is the only location in all of Windsor-Essex with homeless shelters.2 E ven though youth who have some post-secondary education have better job opportunities, research suggests that many of those who graduate end up pursuing entry level jobs for which they are overqualified. The Windsor Youth Centre serves on average 0 meals per day to youth. In Ontario, % of food bank users are under the age of 18. Workforce WindsorEssex, personal communication, March 10, 201. Homeless Coalition of Windsor-Essex County, personal communication, September 0, 201. Ontario Common Front. Falling Behind, A Report of the Ontario Common Front. Toronto: Ontario Common Front, Accessed on February 2, The Windsor Youth Centre, personal communication, October 7, 201. Ontario Association of Food Banks, Hunger Report November 201: A Comprehensive Report on Hunger and Food Bank Use in Ontario and Recommendations for Change. Toronto: Ontario Association of Food Banks, 201. Accessed on November 18,

15 I don t want to be homeless, I want to work, but finding employment with no fixed address is next to impossible. Homelessness costs the Canadian economy $7 billion annually. 1 The rate of suicide among the homeless population is 0 times higher than the national average. 2 It is estimated 20-% of homeless individuals suffer from a mental illness. In Windsor,.7% of renters pay more than 0% of their income on rent, placing them at risk of homelessness. In spite of the low housing costs in Windsor-Essex, only 9% of household rental properties in the city of Windsor are affordable to tenants with low incomes. Emergency shelter use is available in Windsor for up to 1 days. After this time, those in need can apply for an extension. In 201, roughly 1,709 individuals used shelters. The following chart indicates waiting time for geared to income housing in Windsor-Essex by type of household. 7 Number of active Length of wait households available (years) Singles years Families years Seniors 1 2 years Total 2,00 1 Stephen Gaetz, Jesse Donaldson, Tim Richter, & Tanya Gulliver (201). The Homeless Hub: The State of Homelessness in Canada 201. Toronto: Canadian Homelessness Research Network Press. Accessed on November 2, Charity Intelligence Canada, Homeless in Canada: A Funder s Primer in Understanding the Tragedy on Canada s Streets. King City: Charity Intelligence Canada, Accessed on September 21, Rudy Pohl. Homelessness in Canada. Street Level Consulting and Counseling (2001). Accessed September 21, Canada. Statistics Canada. National Household Survey (NHS) Profile 2011, Windsor, CMA, Ontario. Catalogue no XWE. (201). Accessed February 2, United Way/Centraide Windsor-Essex County. Supporting basic needs and independence. Accessed September 21, Homeless Coalition of Windsor-Essex County, personal communication, October 10, Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association. Waiting List Survey 201. Toronto: ONPHA, 201.

16 We thought we were building our dream home. Instead we are struggling to hold on to our house and stay financially afloat. 8% of workers in Ontario said they were most likely to be living paycheque to paycheque.1 Less than % of Canadians have an emergency fund.2 More than 0% of Canadian employees do not have access to a workplace pension. in 10 (29.%) Canadian adults were not very confident or not at all confident that their household income at thetime of retirement would be enough for them to maintain their desired standard of living. Household indebtedness in Canada has reached a record level of 1% of disposable income. In 201, 1,22 individuals claimed bankruptcy in Windsor. Each month more than 1 out of 10 individuals turning to food banks in Ontario are doing so for the first time.7 The mean debt per Ontario borrower who rents is $,200.8 Debtors in Ontario owe, on average, between $12,700 and $17,700.9 Toronto Condo Bubble, Survey of Canadian Employees - Canadian Payroll Association, Blog: September 12, CIBC, CIBC Poll: Almost Half of Canadians say their household has no money set aside for emergencies. Media release: August 1, Canadian Labour Congress, Labour s Plan for Retirement Security: How It Works for Everyone. Retirement Security for Everyone Pamphlet. Ottawa: Canadian Labour Congress, 201. Statistics Canada. (201). Canadian Financial Capability Survey (CFCS). Released November, Canadian Labour Congress, Labour s Plan for Retirement Security: How It Works for Everyone. Retirement Security for Everyone Pamphlet. Ottawa: Canadian Labour Congress, 201. Bankruptcy Ontario, 201 Ontario Bankruptcy Statistics. 7 Food Banks Canada, Hunger Count 201. Toronto: Food Banks Canada Accessed February 2, Raj K. Chawla and Sharanjit Uppal, Statistics Canada. Household Debt in Canada Accessed on September 09, Raj K. Chawla and Sharanjit Uppal, Statistics Canada. Household Debt in Canada Accessed on September 09,

17 Find out what is being done and what you can do to reduce poverty in Windsor-Essex. Pathway to Potential pathwaytopotential.ca 80 Chatham St. E., Windsor, ON, N9A 2W1 Facebook: facebook.com/pathwaytopotential