Title: Fighting Hunger Through Social Policy
1Fighting Hunger Through Social Policy
2ABOUT DAILY BREAD FOOD BANK
3VISION 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
4HOW 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
5HOW 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
6WHAT FOOD RELIEF PROGRAMS EXIST
- Neighbourhood food banks
- Tenant food programs
- Food staples programs
- Prenatal programs
- Mobile food banks
- Meal programs drop-in centres
7HOW 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
8WHERE 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
9HOW 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
10INDIVIDUAL 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
11REALISTIC 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
12WHO EXPERIENCES FOOD INSECURITY IN CANADA
13FOOD 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)
14INCOME IS THE BIGGEST CONTRIBUTOR TO FOOD
INSECURITY
15THE BEST WAY TO FIND OUT IF SOMEONE IS FOOD
INSECURE IS TO FIND OUT IF THEY ARE ON SOCIAL
ASSISTANCE
16WHO GTA FOOD BANKS SERVE
17FOOD 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
18RECESSION IS CAUSING USE TO SPIKE
19WHY 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
20WHO USES FOOD BANKS?
- Children 34
- Working poor 28
- Self-identified disability 47
- Newcomers 46
- Single parents 19
- Welfare/ODSP recipients 65
21FIGHTING 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)
22A HOUSING BENEFIT FOR ONTARIO
23What 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
24What 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
25Why 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
26How 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
27How 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
28A 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