Coalition calls for reform to social support

JUSTIN SKINNER

February 17, 2010

Despite pronouncements by some that Canada is recovering from the recession, far too many Canadians are still suffering severe economic hardships.

The Recession Relief Coalition (RRC), a group dedicated to documenting the impact of the economic downturn and pushing for change, recently released a bulletin detailing the difficulties people are facing.

The report, titled One Year Later - Recession Fallout Continues, offers a look at the human side of the recession and calls on the federal government to make sweeping changes to social assistance, housing and other key areas.

While Canada's ballyhooed Economic Action Plan has been touted by the Prime Minister Stephen Harper government, John Andras of the Recession Relief Coalition said the plan does not do nearly enough to help the most vulnerable.

"Half a million Canadians have lost their jobs and are either ineligible for (employment insurance) or are in the process of losing their EI benefits," he said. "For them, it's really, really dire."

Andras said the next step for many would be to apply for welfare. To qualify, however, recipients must have virtually no assets, meaning that some would have to lose their homes and vehicles in order to collect.

"You have to basically become destitute," he said. "To get out of social assistance is very, very difficult."

The Toronto-based coalition is calling for serious reforms to EI, lowering requirements for eligibility and lengthening the amount of time people can collect support.

The RRC also hopes to see more social housing - the waiting list for subsidized housing in Toronto is now roughly 10 years - and more support for front-line social agencies that assist those in need.

"These agencies are, in a lot of cases, the last step in the social safety net," he said. "Once people are past that, they fall very hard."

The RRC has also secured promises from opposition parties in terms of infrastructure, housing and social programs through a questionnaire, though the ruling Conservative Party of Canada declined to answer the survey.

Andras said the answers provided in the questionnaire showed an understanding of the need for more government assistance.

"The fact we had all four opposition parties involved is telling," he said. "It shows there is awareness of the issues and a desire for change."

The need for immediate help is evident at social agencies such as downtown Toronto's St. Felix Centre. The centre provides meals, social services and other assistance to some of Toronto's most vulnerable residents.

St. Felix Centre spokesperson Paddy Bowen said the sheer number of new clients shows the recession has hit countless people in a big way.

"Our little centre has seen a doubling of numbers (of clients) in the past six months," she said. "We're seeing a new population coming in. The St. Felix Centre traditionally served the classic homeless Torontonian - the middle-aged man - but now we're seeing new Canadians, families on benefits and people on (EI) for whom the payments are about to run out."

Compounding the problem is the fact many who have been able to weather the recession have nonetheless had to tighten their purse strings. That means fewer dollars coming in to serve a far greater need.

"We'll probably bring in $50,000 less this year," Bowen said. "A lot of our previous donors are giving us less but the real impact is that we have no new donors."

The agency has been unable to hire new staff to keep up with the increased demand for services, relying instead on a steady stream of volunteers. The volunteers' work at St. Felix and similar agencies is critical for so many Torontonians.

"We'll see people bringing their children in for breakfast and then coming in for lunch, and for a lot of people those two meals are the difference between them making it or not," Bowen said.

For more information on the RRC, including its latest newsletter, visit www.recession-relief-coalition.org