Social assistance plan isn’t helping vulnerable young people
On Nov. 22, I watched as Ontario’s Minister of Children, Community and Social Services, Lisa MacLeod, stood behind a podium that read “For the People” and delivered the Conservative government’s plan to reform social assistance in Ontario. My initial reaction was: For what people?
In my role as a researcher and clinician, I work with young people attempting the daunting task of transitioning away from homelessness. Most of these young people rely on the Ontario Works (OW) program — social assistance for those without a diagnosed disability — as their primary source of income. Some rely on the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP). The majority have not finished high school so, the only jobs available to them tend to be minimum wage, part-time, “dead end” jobs. And when they do find work, social assistance is quick to claw back their meagre incomes. Those who enrol in post-secondary education and qualify for “free tuition” get their OW supplements taken away, which makes sense if you are fortunate enough to have some place to live for free.
In 2016, I spent 10 months meeting oneon-one with nine young people in Toronto who had left the shelter system and moved into market rent housing. Eight were receiving social assistance. After paying rent for their subpar accommodations and purchasing a transit pass so they could get around the city, most were left with $36 each month to cover every one of their living expenses, including food. The mental and physical stress of living in poverty cannot be overstated. It is absolutely exhausting, every single day. Over time, I watched them move from long-term goals like upgrading their education, to day-today survival.
Here is what the Ontario government’s social assistance reform has done for young people experiencing homelessness:
• Increased social assistance clawbacks from 50 per cent to 75 per cent;
• Cut in half the three per cent planned increase in social assistance rates (currently $733/month for OW and $1,169/ month for ODSP);
• Taken away a guaranteed basic income from those enrolled in that program;
• Challenged the diagnosis of “disability” for those relying on the ODSP.
Yes, the government has allowed those on OW to keep $300 of employment income each month instead of $200; however, the increased clawbacks to their social assistance support will ensure they remain in poverty.
The government has also generously allowed those on the ODSP to keep $500 employment income each month before clawbacks instead of $200; however, they are also challenging the definition of what is means to be disabled, meaning fewer and fewer people will qualify for this enhanced benefit. And the fact that the Conservative government cancelled the basic income pilot when there was absolutely no evidence to prove that it might (or might not) be an effective way to assist people out of poverty is downright scary.
The Ford government is not for the people. At least not for the young people I work with.