There are about 5,600 people on Ontario Works across Simcoe County right now. About 4,300 people are on the County of Simcoe’s social housing wait-list.
As part of the annual draft budget presentation last week, County of Simcoe councillors were provided with statistics on subjects such as paramedic call volume, population projections and the unemployment rate. Among the statistics was a predicted steep increase in the number of people requiring Ontario Works.
In 2021, the Ontario Works (OW) caseload is expected to rise to 6,500.
The county-wide social-housing waitlist has increased exponentially over the past four years. In 2020, the list sits at about 4,300 people waiting to get into social housing. In 2021, that number is expected to reach 4,590.
Eric, 24, lives in Orillia but is of no fixed address. He asked that his real name not be used in this story.
“Before all of this, I was one of those people who thought people on OW were really, really poor, and didn’t consider that they were just going through a rough time,” he said.
“Ontario Works wasn’t something anyone ever suggested to me and some even said I should ‘feel lucky’ I’m not one of those people on OW.
“Now, looking back, I wish someone would have told me OW could have really helped me get out of this situation,” he said.
Pre-COVID, Eric worked at a Tim Hortons in Brechin, and would get rides to work with his neighbours in exchange for gas money as he doesn’t drive. When the pandemic hit, the rides dried up and with no way to get to work, he lost his job.
“I went from working regular hours consistently, with a good amount of money in my bank account, to having nothing all of a sudden. I was going into debt,” said Eric. “At first, I was couch surfing but I was blowing through my money really fast.”
After that, he moved to Orillia to pursue a job, but the housing situation was not stable. Eric found himself living at Lighthouse Shelter, and on Ontario Works.
“I was depressed, too. Everything I had going for me was just not there anymore. Having that little pick up (from OW) where I knew I could go to the grocery store and get some food and I wasn’t just digging myself into a bigger hole was a relief. I could go buy a coffee while I was out job hunting and not feel anxious,” he said.
“When I got here, I was scared. I was thinking, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to a homeless shelter.’ But a lot of the guys here are just normal guys. Some of them have escaped from bad relationships, or sketchy situations, and are just trying to make things better for themselves,” he said.
Eric thinks the amounts of support provided by Ontario Works are fair, however admits they don’t add up when considering the average cost of housing in Simcoe County.
He says Lighthouse staff have been working with him to find appropriate housing, and he appreciates that they haven’t pressured him to leave the shelter immediately since he recently found employment. They have been helping him and another shelter attendee to find a place to live in together as roommates to decrease their costs.
“There are some sketchy (living) situations in this town,” said Eric. “I’m moving in with a roommate because neither of us could find an affordable place. But if we look together, we could.
“In this day and age, I don’t think it’s reasonable to just expect you can afford your own living space that easily. It’s a little jaded to think that way, but we’re living in a global community and this has been going on for a long time,” said Eric.
Ontario Works is a provincial program administered through the County of Simcoe which provides money for food, shelter and other help with health costs, to those who meet the eligibility criteria.
The Ontario Works monthly average caseload in Simcoe County, while it has been on a small decline over the past four years, is set to rise by a significant amount in 2021.
“The biggest variable when it comes to Ontario Works is the current state of the economy at any given time,” said Greg Bishop, general manager of social services with the County of Simcoe.
The County of Simcoe is provided with funding from the provincial government to facilitate Ontario Works locally. While the benefits are paid for in full by the provincial government, administrative costs for the program such as for staffing and rent, are cost-shared between the provincial government and the county. The total municipal requirement to pay for the program in 2021 is $5.5 million compared to $5 million in 2020.
Bishop said the projected jump in OW caseloads is due to factors related to the pandemic. While he says the county did see a spike in cases very early in the pandemic, the cases levelled off when the federal government introduced the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit and further Employment Insurance benefits.
However once those benefits run out, the county suspects cases will creep up again.
“It’s been a little harder to predict (this year) than it would be normally,” said Bishop. “It will depend on how the pandemic continues to evolve. We could see a spike like we saw in the spring.”
The County of Simcoe oversees 4,200 social housing and affordable housing units county-wide.
On Jan. 1, 2014, the county started their 10-Year Affordable Housing and Homelessness Prevention Strategy. Since 2014, the plan has led to more than 1,500 new affordable units being created.
Affordable housing refers to housing with set rental rates that are a percentage of market rent. Social housing refers to housing where the rental price is related to the income of the tenant.
The county does have a rent-subsidy program that will help social housing tenants supplement their income to get them to the affordable housing bracket of income, which Bishop says is being used more frequently by residents year over year.
“It’s a concern in that we haven’t received any specific funding from the province to increase the number of social housing/rent-geared-to-income units,” said Bishop. “We are looking at ways to address (situations) where people may need a deeper rent subsidy to get into the affordable housing units.”
Bishop didn’t have specific numbers for how long the wait can be on the list, as he said it can vary depending on the area in which a person has requested to be housed.
“We know there’s a growing need and concern about available housing. There have been a number of strategies put in place and we’re continuing to look to other levels of government for assistance as well as opportunities for more affordable housing across the region,” said Bishop.
