Inside This Issue:
Manitoba Tightens the Screws on Social Assistance Recipients
Worth Repeating
Poverty: An Experience of a Lifetime
Report Released on Housing Policy and Homelessness
Homelessness Minister's Consultation Tour Ends
A Safe Park for the Class-Conscious
Housing For All!
March for the Americas in October
Recent Resources
Staff Announcements

Manitoba Tightens the Screws on Social Assistance Recipients

The Conservative Government of Manitoba has passed Bill 40, the Employment and Income Assistance Amendment Act, which allows social services to cut people off welfare if they do not participate in mandatory training, parenting, and drug rehabilitation programs. The new law builds on tough measures introduced by the government in 1996, when welfare rates were cut and a preliminary form of workfare was introduced. The Manitoba government is also forcing young people on welfare to go back to school, despite having cut successful voluntary programs a few years ago, including New Careers, Student Social Allowance and Access.

The new regulations, which were rushed through in July, are seen by many as a "get-tough" pre-election ploy by the Filmon government. In a brief to the government, the Canadian Union of Public Employees states that "this government appears to be stigmatizing social assistance recipients, rather than providing much needed programming." The Manitoba government is implying that "welfare recipients don't really want education or training because they don't really want to work. This common sentiment is unfortunately based on a combination of ignorance and meanness. It ignores the fact that only 22% of welfare recipients are deemed employable."

Some of the problems with the law include:

• mandatory job training without a plan for job creation,
• forced drug rehabilitation, with a funding level which would not even cover the backlog of people waiting for programs at present,
• welfare workers will determine who has an addiction problem,
• inadequate child-care provisions for people in job training placements and in drug rehabilitation.

According to NAPO's Vice-President Pauline Riley, a Winnipeg anti-poverty activist, "there is nothing in this bill that speaks of reform; there is no program or adequate money in place to implement these measures. These amendments will cost money, but will not produce jobs. This bill is a piecemeal attempt at punitive reform."

"Office manager, tourism office. Person should have excellent communication skills with ability to promote, supervise, maintain records, and liaise with other organizations. Person should have understanding of the area's tourism and be able to handle inquiries. Computer skills are an asset."

What would a reasonable wage for this type of job be? $30,000 a year? $40,000? Forget it, if you live in Ontario. Welcome to the world of workfare. The pay for this job is your welfare cheque (as low as $520 a month).

The above ad was taken from the 'community placement order list' for the week of May 18, 1999 in Cobourg, Ontario. It is only 1 of 31 workfare "jobs" "posted" in the community.

Some of the other jobs are for receptionists, labourers, restoration (cleaning, painting, scraping antique artefacts and buildings), yard maintenance, museum attendants, library helpers, a residential counsellor, janitorial maintenance, grounds keeper, carpentry, assistant youth programmer, and park maintenance.

And, oh yes, in addition to your welfare cheque you get to "maintain your current skills, obtain up-to-date references, gain new skills and experience, make contacts for future employment, improve self-esteem and confidence, and update your resume." But no paycheque.

The Ontario community placement list shows the real purpose of workfare: to use people on welfare to take the place of other workers at zero wages, just welfare. The list shows how the important question for all working people to be asking about workfare is not, "why should I have to pay taxes to support someone on welfare?"

The important question is: "Could I compete with someone on workfare? Could I do the job for $520 a month (the Ontario welfare rate for a single person) and still live decently?

So far these workfare jobs are only in non profit and government work. But Ontario is in the processs of expanding it to the private sector too. That means a lot more workers will have to compete with people forced to work for their welfare cheque.

--Jean Swanson works at End Legislated Poverty, a coalition of BC groups that wants governments to reduce and end poverty.

"For the taming of capitalism through basic social and economic rights was not some act of charity that can be abandoned when the going gets rough. Rather, it was the answer to deep social conflicts and to the breakdown of European democracy in the 1920s and 1930s. . . . Beck writes: . . . 'The simple truth is that without material security there is no political freedom, no democracy, and therefore a threat to everyone from new and old totalitarian regimes and ideologies.' "

Hans-Peter Martin and Harald Schumann
The Global Trap: Globalization & the Assault on Democracy & Prosperity
Black Rose Books, Montréal, 1996.

Poverty: An Experience of a Lifetime
(Darrin Stanley)

Poverty is nothing less than a human disease, which follows each generation down through history. It acts as a destroyer, threatening any optimism, and causing sorrow and despair; squeezing each drop of hope from individuals who know what it is like to live in its grasp. Families and individuals that find themselves in this category quickly realize how tough life can be.

Growing up in a middle class family, I never dreamed that I would one day find myself homeless, alone, and emotionally broken. It came on so quickly, without warning. One day I was an assiduous person, who was enjoying life, and the next I found myself searching for a place to sleep for the night. Shameful as that felt, it didn't compare to the spectacle of begging for money, and worse, walking into the social assistance office for help.

At the exact moment that I was requesting assistance I felt as if my life was not worth keeping. I kept this to myself, refusing to tell friends or my family. I felt worthless, dirty, and useless as a human being. I wouldn't associate with anyone, and for a while I contemplated ending my life. I was at the lowest point in my life, and hope was dissipating before I could react to my situation. Living among other people didn't help me either.

I was placed in a temporary shelter for the homeless. It is hard to function properly in an atmosphere that is full of madness. Not all the guys who lived there were in the same predicament as me. Some were from the local mental institution. Not understanding anything about those with mental illness I remained in an offensive position for the whole time I was there. I remember laying in bed at night thinking about how all this happened, and wondering if I would ever get out of this place. The only way I could fall asleep was by crying, and I did a lot of that. I had never been in a place like that before, and I began to realize it would take all the effort I had to get out of that precarious circumstance.

A week later, I was placed in a boarding house. It turned out to be the worst place I had ever lived in. There was more verbal abuse in that place than I care to mention. The food was not fit for a dog to consume, and the rooms lacked proper heating. There were many nights that I had to wear my clothes in bed because the room temperature was extremely cold - I would see my own breath. Not deterred by the owner's ignorance, I forged on, and three months later I was able to find a better place and avoid further provocation.

My hope began to flicker again. I felt more relaxed than I had been, and I had time to think. I refused to put my pain on alcohol and drugs. I began to write a journal. I felt it important to keep a record of my experiences, a reminder of what can happen. I also met a friend who had sympathy for me, and offered to help me. I worked for him at odd jobs, earning extra money. I am a single male, and social services would only give me the bare minimum. As I tried to rebound from hitting bottom I was informed by my social worker that I could update my high school - an open door for me.

I was given the opportunity to upgrade my high school during the time I was receiving social assistance. Within the next two years I completed my grade twelve. I applied, and was accepted into university. I'm now a year away from finishing my Arts Degree, and I'm going to apply for Journalism within the next month or two.

My plight through this experience has taught me many things about myself and about others around me. I have learned that there are more people who are struggling daily with their lives, and what is even more devastating is there are children who grow up in this environment. I see men and women roaming about the streets, and the expressions on their faces are heart wrenching. Many people will avoid poverty's people, either because they refuse to see it, or because they simply don't care.

Unfortunately, I'm pessimistic that our society will ever find a solution to world poverty. I don't think our governments are to blame for it all, but in this country of ours, which is one of the best places to live, one would think poverty would be less of an issue. I can only hope that those who are living in poverty will overcome their hardships, and as long as government keeps an open door of opportunity, there will be hope.

-- Darrin Stanley lives in St. John's, Newfoundland

NAPO News wants to hear from YOU! If you're interested in sharing your poverty-related story (1000 words maximum) with our readers, send it and we'll try to publish it in an upcoming issue. Indicate if you want your name and city of residence printed with the article. Submissions won't be returned and don't necessarily reflect NAPO's views. We also reserve the right to edit. Please contact us for reprint permission.

Mail to:
NAPO c/o Resource Centre
#440 - 325 Dalhousie Street
Ottawa, ON
K1N 7G2

Following up on its declaration last November that homelessness has become a national disaster, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities has released a report entitled National Housing Policy Options Paper: A Call for Action. The report includes comprehensive statistics on the affordable-housing crisis, and contains strong recommendations for all three levels of government to take action.

Some of the key findings in the report include:

• significant increases in emergency shelter use in Calgary, Edmonton, Hamilton, Kitchener, Montreal, Ottawa, Regina, Peel, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg
• between 1990 and 1995 the number of households in Canada paying more than 50 percent of their income on rent increased by 43 percent (from 583,710 to 833,555 households)
• in larger urban centres, there are at least 96,000 households on waiting lists for assisted housing
• as of 1996, there were 360,735 rental dwellings in Canada in need of major repair
• in the next decade Canada is going to need an additional 450,000 rental housing units to meet the expected demand

The paper outlines a range of options available to the federal government as part of a co-ordinated response involving all levels of government. The options have been organized as responses to five key areas of housing issues and need:

• Investing in new affordable housing
• Repairing and preserving existing affordable housing
• Combining housing with other services for high-need communities
• Encouraging market housing through tax policies and other means
• Continuing to share the cost of ongoing subsidies

Also included in the report is a set of targets for a national housing strategy, which would meet both the needs of the general population and those of particular groups, such as seniors, Aboriginal people, and people with mental illness. The targets are:

• New supply -- 20,000 new affordable units annually to meet half the new rental demand
• Housing rehabilitation -- 10,000 units annually, as part of a ten year plan
• Relief of affordability problems -- 40,000 additional households assisted annually, in a 5-year plan to reduce by half the 800,000 tenants whose rent is more than half their income.

The report is available from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' website: www.fcm.ca, or by contacting the Federation at 24, Clarence St, Ottawa, ON, K1N 5P3, tel: (613) 241-5221.

The federal Minister Responsible for the Homeless has finished her five-week cross-country tour, and is scheduled to deliver an interim report to cabinet in the fall. Her final report, expected by December, will be released to the public. MP Claudette Bradshaw, who was given the homelessness portfolio in March, has spent the summer consulting with homeless people, shelter workers, and housing advocates in cities across Canada.

As University of Toronto Prof. David Hulchanski notes, the minister has "no power, no money, [and] no clout." She is also following in the footsteps of Finance Minister Paul Martin, who toured the country ten years ago as the Liberal Opposition's housing critic to find out how bad the housing situation was.

Thanks to dozens of reports on homelessness written in the last few years, there is ample evidence that the problem has increased to crisis proportions, and not only in Canada's largest cities, but also in smaller cities and towns. It is clear that funding - and not more consultation - is required to reduce the number of people living on the streets and in emergency shelters. In Professor's Hulchanski's words, "although homelessness may not be only a housing problem, it is always a housing problem. Without stable and adequate housing, nothing else is likely to work."

There has rarely been a more mean-spirited public campaign than Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman's attack on the poor people of his city. It was the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty's safe park, set up on August 7 and shut down by police on August 10, that made residents of Toronto aware of the mayor's dirty war.

Lastman's solution to homelessness and poverty seems to be police harassment, what anti-poverty advocate Kathy Hardiff calls 'social cleansing.' According to Lastman, panhandlers, squeegee kids and the visibly homeless are such a threat to the fine burghers of Hogtown that he needs a specially organized $1.9-million Community Action Policing Unit to rid the city of what he calls "troublemakers" and "thugs." Squeegee kids, the most visible and in-your-face segment of Toronto's homeless are the primary targets of the campaign.

The safe park provided another target. As an argument against leaving it be, Lastman said, "The citizens of Toronto should feel the parks are theirs and that they can walk in their bare feet in the parks." Personally, I would rather walk barefoot at Yonge and Bloor than in any park in Toronto and it is not human excrement that worries me. The parks, according to Mayor Mel, belong only to those citizens of Toronto who can be trusted in Lastman's eyes not to soil the greenery.

If it weren't for the dramatic and visible tactic of establishing a safe park in Allan Gardens, most people in Toronto wouldn't know anything about Lastman's campaign against the poor. The coalition set up tents and provided the city's homeless with food, shelter and protection from police harassment. At dawn on Tuesday, the police rounded up park occupants, shut down the community that was beginning to grow there and arrested 27 people. Ever since, local media pundits have been denouncing OCAP spokesperson John Clarke, claiming the safe park did nothing to help the homeless.

I visited the safe park last Saturday. It was quiet and low-key and left lots of room for other people to use the park. Toronto columnists are claiming the tactic of occupying a park reduced the sympathy of the good people of Toronto for the homeless. But what good has sympathy done them so far? Despite the persuasive Golden report, which called for increased government spending on social housing, nothing has been done beyond adding a few more shelter beds and unleashing the repressive forces of the police department.

Based on call-in shows I heard about the safe park, most people thought it was stupid to use police resources to shut down a peaceful occupation of a small part of a public park where homeless people often sleep on their own. If, however, the pundits and the mayor are correct and the people of Toronto are so concerned about being harassed by homeless people on the streets, the OCAP park may provide another solution.

Allan Gardens, because of its centrality and size - the same things that made it ideal for OCAP's safe park - could be designated as a haven, a 'safe park,' for downtrodden homeowners and businesspeople of Metro Toronto, a place where they could be free from the harassment and discrimination Lastman claims they are subject to. Tents, large enough to house five families each, can easily and inexpensively be set up in the park and can provide ample shelter and security for occupants. When it starts to get cold, the residents of the park could sleep on the many surprisingly comfortable subway grates of neighbouring Carlton Street. With proper supplies (maybe Starbucks could set up a low-fat cappuccino stand), the good burghers of Toronto could stay within the borders of Allan Gardens almost indefinitely.

Best of all, they'd never be harassed by a panhandler or homeless person again.

I feel sure if we ask the homeless people of Toronto really nicely, they'll agree to stay away from Allan Gardens during its occupation. But where will they go? I have a feeling they might find some use for those nice toasty-warm beds and full refrigerators in the newly vacant Rosedale and Forest Hill mansions. Maybe the squeegee kids would like to see what the inside of one of those brand-new BMWs looks like.

Occupants of the park may be seized by the mood and decide to take off their shoes and socks to traipse barefoot through the grass of Allan Gardens. Should they happen to tread on something unpleasant, they can take comfort in the knowledge that what they have stepped in is of the highest possible social pedigree.

--Judy Rebick is a journalist, activist, and former President of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women.

The Toronto Disaster Relief Committee (TDRC), a network of homeless and housing advocates, has declared October 2, 1999 as a day of action in Toronto to address the escalating problem of homelessness and a lack of affordable housing. TDRC organizers are encouraging others to initiate events in their communities.

October 2nd was chosen since it's the closest Saturday to World Habitat Day, designated by the United Nations to be the first Monday in October. The theme of World Habitat Day is Cities for All, and the TDRC has created a parallel vision called Housing for All.

From homelessness to home' will be the focus of the event. Although plans are still being worked out, the gathering will probably start in the Dundas-Sherbourne region (an area with a large homeless population) to highlight the homelessness disaster and its impact on people and communities. A potential visit to the St. Lawrence neighbourhood (which has a high concentration of co-op and non-profit housing units) will symbolize solutions. In addition, social housing projects may stage 'open houses' in conjunction with the event.

A key demand will be the One Percent Solution, a campaign to end homelessness, endorsed by national, provincial, and local groups, and some politicians to provide an additional 1% of federal budgetary spending for basic housing needs in Canada.

For more information on the TDRC and the October 2nd event, contact Kira Heineck at the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee at (416) 703-8482, ext. 411 or send an e-mail message to : [email protected]--a template with a flyer for the Toronto event is available (give your fax number to receive one).

The Kensington Welfare Rights Union (KWRU), based in Philadelphia, is organizing a month-long March for the Americas to protest poverty in the United States. The March will take place in October, beginning in Washington, D.C., and ending at the United Nations in New York City. Protesters will march ten to fifteen miles a day (16 to 24 kms) and will be greeted, sponsored and joined by supporters along the whole route.

The Kensington Welfare Rights Union has been organizing the national Economic Human Rights Campaign for several years. Since June 1998, they have been gathering testimony from poor people across the country, and have presented thousands of people's stories to a rally and tribunal at the United Nations in July of this year, in order to bring them to the attention of the international community.

The march begins on October 1, when the organization files a petition with the Inter-American Commission charging that the United States is violating the economic human rights of its citizens, as laid out in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights that America signed in 1948.

You can find more information about the march at the KWRU's website: www.libertynet.org/~kwru.

From NAPO:
Canada at the Millenium: Strengthening Our Fundamental Freedoms. NAPO's pre-budget submission to the House of Commons Finance Committee (September 1999) (free for members, $3 for others, English or French).

Priorities for Financial Sector Reform. A factsheet on access to banking services for low-income Canadians, accompanied by a list of recommendations for improving service (May 1999) (free, English only)

From other sources:
Women on the Rough Edge: A Decade of Change for Long-Term Homeless Women--by Sylvia Novac, Joyce Brown, and Gloria Gallant in conjunction with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. For a copy, contact the Canadian Housing Information Centre at: tel: (613) 748-2367, fax: (613) 748-4069 or www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca. A retrospective review of the changing patterns of women's homelessness in the Toronto area with a focus on conditions and services.

Defining and Measuring Poverty: Implications For the Health of Canadians-- by Deanna L. Williamson, RN, PhD and Linda Reutter, RN, PhD, Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta. Contact Deanna L. Williamson, Faculty of Nursing, 3rd Floor Clinical Sciences Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G3, tel: (403) 492-5925, fax: (403) 492-2551, e-mail: [email protected]. This paper examines the implications that the conceptualization and measurement of poverty have for policies that aim to improve the health of Canadians.

Aboriginal People in Canada's Labour Market--by Michael Mendelson and Ken Battle (Caledon Institute of Social Policy, June 1999) and sold by Renouf Publishing Company Ltd, tel: (613) 745-2665, fax: (613) 745-7660. An examination of bleak labour market prospects facing Aboriginal Canadians.

Removing Barriers: Inclusion, Diversity, and Social Justice in Health--by Ralph Masi (Editor). Contact Removing Barriers, #406-1017 Wilson Ave, Downsview, Ontario M3K 1Z1, $12.50 plus $2.50 handling & mailing. The Removing Barriers initiative was undertaken to bring health issues of vulnerable and marginalized communities to the attention of health care systems, professionals, and health care reformers across Canada.

Taking Another Look at Class--by Sandy Cameron and co-published by Carnegie Community Centre Association and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives- BC Office, July 1999. Available for $3 (includes GST & shipping) from the CCPA-BC Office, 815-207 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC, V6B 1H7, tel: (604) 801-5121, fax: (604) 801-5122, e-mail: [email protected] or www.policyalternatives.ca. An insightful collection of essays about class and a great resource for those who do economics popular education.

National Housing Policy Options Paper: A Call for Action--by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, June 1999 (Ottawa). Contact FCM, tel: (613) 241-5221, fax: (613) 241-7440, e-mail: [email protected] or www.fcm.ca. This paper was produced in co-operation with mayors, councillors, and senior policy staff from communities across Canada. It explores the rise of homelessness, the increased number of households living in inadequate or unaffordable housing, the deterioration of existing rental housing stock and a growing need for new affordable housing units.

Speaking Out Project: Periodic Report #4: Costs, Closures and Confusion: People in Ontario Talk About Health Care--by Kate Bezanson and Louise Noce with the assistance of the Speaking Out Project (published by the Caledon Institute of Social Policy, May 1999). Contact Caledon's Speaking Out Project (YCMA), 42 Charles Street East, 4th Floor, Toronto, Ontario M4Y 1T4, tel: (416) 928-3362 ext. 4205, fax: (416) 928-3325, e-mail: [email protected] or www.caledoninst.org/speaking. The Speaking Out Project was established in January 1997 to document the effects that policy changes are having on ordinary people in Ontario, especially those with low incomes. It is a longitudinal study of 40 households interviewed at six-month intervals until the year 2000.

Single Mothers: Surviving Below the Poverty Line: Assessing the Impact of Social Policy Reform on Women's Health (Prince Edward Island)--sponsored by The Prince Edward Island Advisory Council on the Status of Women, researched and written by Cooper Institute, and funded by The Maritime Centre of Excellence for Women's Health. Contact The Prince Edward Island Advisory Council on the Status of Women for a copy at: (902) 368-4510. This project assesses how the health of impoverished women and single mothers is affected by social policy changes.

Literacy and Homelessness Project Phase 3 Report: More Ideas--from the St. Christopher House Adult Literacy Program, 248 Ossington Ave, Toronto, Ontario M6J 3A2, tel: (416) 532-4828, fax: (416) 532-8739, e-mail: [email protected]. To order a copy, contact the Adult Literacy Staff at (416) 539-9000.

Liz Sutherland, one of NAPO's resource centre coordinators, is pursuing her Master's Degree in Victoria, BC. until January 2000. We wish her well in her endeavours! And NAPO is pleased to welcome Suzanne Lenon to the position of researcher/writer. Congratulations!

NAPO Board Member Selection Process

The National Anti-Poverty Organization is governed by and accountable to poor people. NAPO's mandate is to support local and regional groups across the country and to represent the voices of low-income Canadians at the national level.

There are 23 seats on NAPO's Board of Directors, including 22 seats from each of the 10 provinces and 3 territories, and one seat for the Past-President. All 23 board members must be from the regular membership category, that is, people who live or who have lived in poverty. About half of the seats are open for election every year.

Vacancies will exist in the following provinces and territories in the year 2000:

British Columbia (1 seat) Manitoba (2 seats) Northern Ontario (1 seat) Northwest Territories (1 seat) New Brunswick (1 seat) Newfoundland (1 seat)

The Rules:
NAPO works to have each seat filled by nomination and election. An election takes place if there is more than one nominee for a seat. However, the Nominating Committee (made up of 3 board members) is mandated to seek qualified and dedicated individuals when there are no nominations.