Fighting Hunger Through Social Policy

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Fighting Hunger Through Social Policy
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ABOUT DAILY BREAD FOOD BANK
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VISION AND MISSION

• Vision
• Fighting to end hunger in our communities
• Mission
• Providing food and resources for hungry people
• Mobilizing greater support, involvement and
  action
• Creating social change to reduce poverty through
  research, education and advocacy

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HOW DAILY BREAD STARTED

• Began operations in 1983
• Response to the recession and the resulting
  escalation in hunger and poverty
• Brought together a range of community agencies
  who were dealing with hunger crisis on the ground
• Intended to be temporary while public policy
  solutions to the hunger crisis were sought
• Driving force was Sister Marie Tremblay, member
  of Sisters of St. Joseph

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HOW DAILY BREAD WORKS

• Daily Bread Food Bank is a network of food banks
  and other food relief programs based in Toronto
  and serving the GTA
• Food and financial donations are delivered to
  Daily Bread, which represents the hub of the
  network
• Resources are distributed equitably among
  approximately 160 member agencies

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WHAT FOOD RELIEF PROGRAMS EXIST

• Neighbourhood food banks
• Tenant food programs
• Food staples programs
• Prenatal programs
• Mobile food banks
• Meal programs drop-in centres

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HOW PEOPLE ACCESS A FOOD BANK

• Usually based on a referral, clients are
  connected to the food bank in the community
  closest to where they live
• Must go through an intake process
• After-rent income and family size are the main
  criteria for food access
• Clients can come up to four times per month
  depending on financial situation

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WHERE DOES FOOD COME FROM?

• Food industry about 8.2 million pounds (66)
• Purchased food about 2.2 million pounds (18)
• Food drives about 1.5 million pounds (13)
• Other food banks about 450,000 pounds (3)
• Total about 12.5 million pounds

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HOW DAILY BREAD FUNDRAISES

• The general public contributes at least 50 of
  Daily Breads annual revenue earnings
• The rest is made up of commitments from
  individuals and corporations, third party
  special events, and bequests
• Daily Bread is not a United Way agency and does
  not receive United Way funding
• Daily Bread also does not rely upon government
  funding
• Total revenues are approximately 6 million

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INDIVIDUAL SUPPORTS, ADVOCACY AND JOB TRAINING

• We provide one-on-one advocacy support and a
  referral service to clients on issues such as
  housing, immigration, access to social benefits,
  employment services, etc
• Kitchen training program provides paid training
  positions in food services industry graduates of
  the program are placed in employment in the
  sector

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REALISTIC SOLUTIONS FOR HUNGER

• Daily Bread conducts community-based research
  (including a survey of approximately 1,800 people
  accessing food banks) to generate reports and
  proposals that increase public awareness and
  political responsiveness to the issues of hunger
  and poverty
• We advocate with governments for effective,
  innovative, and doable government policies that
  improve income security and the well-being of our
  clients

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WHO EXPERIENCES FOOD INSECURITY IN CANADA
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FOOD INSECURITY AFFECTS 1 IN 10 CANADIANS

• 9.2 of Canadians moderately or severely food
  insecure
• 6.3 were moderately food insecure, 2.9
  severely -Source Canadian Community Health
  Survey 2004, Statistics Canada (2007)

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INCOME IS THE BIGGEST CONTRIBUTOR TO FOOD
INSECURITY
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THE BEST WAY TO FIND OUT IF SOMEONE IS FOOD
INSECURE IS TO FIND OUT IF THEY ARE ON SOCIAL
ASSISTANCE

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WHO GTA FOOD BANKS SERVE
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FOOD BANK USE IN THE GTA RISES AND FALLS WITH
CHANGES IN THE ECONOMY AND POLICY

• Total of 952,883 visits in 2008
• 5 increase from 2007
• 90 increase from 1995

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RECESSION IS CAUSING USE TO SPIKE
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WHY DO PEOPLE USE FOOD BANKS?

• Low income is the most important factor in food
  bank use median monthly household income is 967
• High cost of housing 77 of income spent on rent

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WHO USES FOOD BANKS?

• Children 34
• Working poor 28
• Self-identified disability 47
• Newcomers 46
• Single parents 19
• Welfare/ODSP recipients 65

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FIGHTING HUNGER MEANS ADDRESSING POVERTY

• Food insecurity is an outcome of poverty (along
  with many other insecurities including housing
  insecurity, transportation insecurity)
• From a social justice perspective, income
  distribution is a first principle of reducing
  poverty and hunger
• How to best achieve more adequate incomes is very
  much a strategic political and public policy
  question
• Some successes in recent years
• Ontario Child Benefit (2007)
• Working Income Tax Benefit (2007)
• Ontario Poverty Reduction Strategy (2008)
• Developing a Material Deprivation Index (2008)

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A HOUSING BENEFIT FOR ONTARIO
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What if..

• An extra 100 per month can ensure a family can
  stay in their home instead of going homeless and
  put on an affordable housing lottery with 129,000
  other households?
• Families in Toronto could afford their own
  apartment instead of having to double or triple
  up?
• A worker who had their hours reduced could still
  afford the modest apartment hes rented for years
  while retraining for a new job
• Families had a support in place to help them keep
  their home during tough economic times

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What is the Housing Benefit?

• The Housing Benefit is a proposed new monthly
  housing allowance paid to all low-income
  Ontarians based on their rent and income
• Pays an average of 119 per month for families
  with children, 96 per month for singles and
  childless couples
• Includes all low-income families, both those on
  social assistance and those working in
  low-wage/precarious employment
• Paid as a monthly cheque and applied for through
  the income tax form like child benefits and GST
  refund

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Why should we do this?

• Will contribute toward the goal of reducing
  poverty by 25 within 5 years
• Will improve housing affordability for many
  low-income households at a time when household
  budgets are being stretched due to the worsening
  economy
• It extends assistance to the working poor, who
  currently are not eligible for such assistance on
  an on-going basis (builds on the Ontario Child
  Benefit)
• It removes a major barrier to employment by
  making assistance available to those trying to
  leave welfare for work
• Increases the incomes of people on social
  assistance without costly and unpopular increases
  in welfare rates

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How does it work? Single receiving OW

• Steve is single and receiving Ontario Works. He
  has no current earnings. His total income
  (including GST credit) is 575 per month
  including a shelter allowance of 349. All he can
  afford to rent on that amount is a room in a
  rooming house with 20 other people. He has no
  privacy, and only gets to use the kitchen stove
  at random hours. Steve will receive an additional
  113 per month for his housing benefit, on top of
  his social assistance income.
• Total income 575
• OW Shelter Allowance 349
• Rent 500
• OW Shelter -349
• Gap 151
• X .75 x 0.75
• Housing Benefit 113

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How does it work? Single working parent

• Monica is working full time at the local grocery
  store and is earning minimum wage. With a total
  monthly income of 2,062, she is finding it
  difficult to pay her 800/month rent and afford
  food for her two children on a regular basis.
  Since she missed the deadline to apply for the
  ROOF program, she currently receives no housing
  help. With the new housing benefit, she would see
  an increase in income of 136 per month.
• Total income 2,062
• Rent 800
• 30 of Income -619
• Gap 181
• X .75 x 0.75
• Housing Benefit 136

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A Housing Benefit will address a number of issues
at once

• Housing affordability
• Social assistance adequacy
• Employment/labour market problems
• Working poverty
• Poverty reduction
• Food security
• Prevention of homelessness