Recession Relief Coalition/archives

A look back into the history of  the Recession Relief Coalition 

and the things we have been doing to forward our cause.

  Media Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 28, 2009

Soup Line outside of Federal Minister of Finance’s Office

Call for Urgent Government Action to Help People Hurt by the Recession

WEDNESDAY, SEPT 30, 2009 12:00 Noon

150 King Street West (Just East of University Avenue).-Outside of Federal Minister of Finance, Jim Flaherty’s Regional Office

Toronto- The Recession Relief Coalition will be providing free food at a Soup Line outside the Minister of Finance’s Office. "We believed that the image of a soup line was lost to history. Unless Governments invest in our social infrastructure, this could be our future. We are asking all political parties to step up and take more comprehensive action on recession relief”, according to Bob Rose, Parkdale Activity and Recreation Centre.

“Almost half a million full time jobs have been lost in Canada since last October. The OECD projects that unemployment in Canada will climb further over the next year and that in the last recession (1990s) it took 8 years for employment levels to return to pre-recession levels and that this time may be worse. Some groups face even higher rates of unemployment including youth and immigrants. While there have been multi billion dollar bail outs of corporations and infrastructure stimulus packages – those directly hurting have received very little help from the federal government. People and communities are hurting and there is no adequate government safety net for them.. Homeless drop ins and food programs have seen numbers skyrocketed and they don’t have the resources to meet the needs”, according to John Andras, Chair of the Recession Relief Coalition.

Speakers will share stories and impacts of this recession: Good Jobs For All Coalition, The Canadian Federation of Students, The Colour of Poverty, and The Homelessness Response Alliance.

The Recession Relief Coalition is a broad-based group of organizations and individuals concerned about the impact of the recession on Canada’s most vulnerable and marginalized residents. Over 260 organizations and over 1,100 individuals across Canada endorsed the coalition’s call on the federal government to invest funding in recession relief.

For more information, contact:

John Andras, 416 860-7640

Beric German 416-921-8668 x238

Subject: Coalition Releases First Research Bulletin, "This Is What the Recession Looks Like"
Hello Recession Relief Coalition supporters,
On June 11th, the Recession Relief Coalition released, "This is what the Recession Looks Like," a research bulletin that sounds the alarm as it tracks the harsh impacts of the Recession. 
To download the bulletin, go to What the recession looks like PDF
The release of this Bulletin coincides with the Federal government’s release of its first "report card" on its multi-billion dollar “Economic Stimulus” January budget, and its announcement in Geneva that it doesn’t need to develop a national  poverty reduction strategy.
Please feel free to circulate the bulletin in your community and use it in meetings with Federal, Provincial and/or Municipal politicians. 
Please share your stories and facts with us for future editions of the Bulletin;  we would like to work with groups across Canada to tell stories/monitor impacts of the recession and demand action and solutions.  We are also hoping that communities across Canada will replicate this work in their communities.
THE EVENT
The research bulletin was released at a media event hosted by St. Christopher House’s The Meeting Place, and local and national news outlets were in attendance.  The audience included numerous community organizations and people affected by poverty and the recession, as well as MP Tony Martin (Social Policy Critic).
**You can watch the event on our YouTube multi player
An impressive panel spoke from a number of perspectives, including many people who work on the front-line with those who are affected by this recession.  John Stapleton (Recession Relief Coalition; St. Christopher House/Metcalf Foundation Fellow) moderated the event and outlined the impact of this severe recession on people and community organizations and the failure of our social safety net to support people’s urgent needs, highlighting the spike in the number of single people receiving social assistance. Panelists Winnie Ng (Co-Chair, Good Jobs For All Coalition), Laurie Campbell (Executive Director, Credit Canada); Michael Oliphant (Daily Bread Food Bank) and Michael Creek (Coordinator, Voices from the Street) painted a multi-faceted picture of the disturbing impact the recession is having on people, communities and organizations.
THE BULLETIN:
Some key figures from the Coalition's research bulletin:
*The number of single people on Ontario Works (provincial welfare) reached an all-time record of 130,180 in April, 2009.
*Ontario's real unemployment rate (the official unemployment rate, plus people who are "discouraged" and have dropped out of the labour market, plus involuntary part-time workers) is now well into the double digits at 13.6% and is at a staggering 28% for youth aged 15 to 24.
*Credit Canada (which helps people deal with debt) has had a 42% increase in new clients in the past year.
*Not-for-profit and community-based programs and services are being overwhelmed with growing demand; food banks in Toronto report that a record one million people were forced to line up for food last year.
In the Bulletin, the Recession Relief Coalition sets out a policy agenda that includes reforms to federal and provincial income assistance programs (including welfare and Employment Insurance) as well as increased funding for the not-for-profit sector, including housing and homelessness programs.
In solidarity,
The Recession Relief Coalition

We're All In This Together

April 28/09

On behalf of the Recession Relief Fund coalition, I welcome you to the multi-faith centre.

Nadir Shirazi: Program Coordinator, Multi-Faith Centre

Before I introduce the distinguished panel I would like to take the opportunity to briefly describe the Recession Relief Fund Coalition and to frame today’s discussion.

The Recession Relief Fund Coalition formed in December 2008 when representatives from front line agencies, foundations, businesses and academics came together united by the concern that the recession, that was starting to unfold, might have a severe impact on the ability of agencies to provide services to those dislocated by the economic downturn.

The logic was, and is, compelling. Demand for service is up. Agencies tell us that more and more people are losing their jobs, are falling through the social safety net and require help. Over 750,000 people are currently receiving Ontario Works or ODSP benefits, an increase of 12,000 since March. Agencies are reporting increased domestic violence as people become increasingly more desperate.

However, as demand is increasing, funding is declining. I was at a fundraiser on Saturday. Last year there were over 250 people attending. This year only 160. Silent auction items went for far less than in previous years and many attracted no bids. There were fewer corporate sponsors on the program. A sign of the times!

Many Foundation’s endowment funds have been hit. As an example, the University of Toronto’s endowment lost 30% in 2008-over 1.3 billion dollars. Many other foundations endowments are down over 20%. Many agencies funding requests have been turned down. Many others have been told not to expect long term funding programs to be continued past the current fiscal year.

Corporations, some struggling for survival, have cut philanthropic donation and event sponsorship programs.

Individuals have also cut back. Investment portfolios and RRSPs have declined dramatically in value as equity markets tumbled. Many people are facing an uncertain future and have cut back on discretionary spending.

Agencies can no longer rely on non-public funding to support essential programs. The federal, provincial and municipal governments must step up and close the funding gap. Governments must also provide additional funding to meet increasing demand. If they don’t, programs will close, agencies will shut their doors. The impact on individuals and communities will be devastating.

The Recession Relief Fund Coalition is developing a collection of indicators and anecdotal evidence that will track the effect of the recession across Canada. We hope that these will be used by media, politicians, agencies, communities and people tell the story of the recession and its impact as it unfolds.

We believe that if Canadians are informed they will come together in common purpose and Governments will listen.

As part of the effort to provide information, the Recession Relief Fund Coalition is holding several Forums and events. We also urge other groups to hold forums in their communities and to join and assist other collations to address social inequities exacerbated by the recession. Several groups have fliers out front. Please take them, get informed and get involved!

We will begin the forum by hearing presentations from our panel. Following the panel presentations there will be an open Mic. You are encouraged to share your experiences and information and ask questions of the panel. Panelist should also feel free to comment on the testimony they hear. At the end of the open Mic. session, I will ask for the panelists to briefly comment on what they have heard.

Now let me introduce the panel:

Peggy Nash: Is recipient of 2009 YWCA Woman of Distinction for Labour award. She is a Senior Representative of the CAW. Peggy was the first woman in North America to represent labour in major auto negotiations. She also pioneered Woman’s Advocate Programs, now at over 120 employers across Canada, assisting women facing workplace harassment, violence and abuse. She is possibly best known locally as the former MP for Parkdale-High Park. Notably, while in Ottawa, she introduced a Bill to reinstate a national minimum wage.

Gail Nyberg: Executive Director of Daily Bread Food Bank. She was also the first Chair of the amalgamated Toronto District School Board. While at TDSB she helped create Toronto Foundation for School Success, the group responsible for student nutrition in Toronto Schools. She has also been coordinator with the Federation of Metro Tenants Associations.

Uzma Shakir: Recipient of the 2007 Atkinson Economic Justice Fellowship and the 2003 Jane Jacobs Award. Uzma is a community based researcher, advocate and activist. She is Past President, Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants. Uzma is past Exec Director of Council of Agencies Serving South Asians and the South Asian Legal Clinic.

Naomi Klein: award winning International author The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism and No Logo: Taking Aim at The Brand Bullies. She writes a regular column at The Nation Magazine, The Guardian Newspaper, she is syndicated by the New York Times. Her articles regularly appear in Harpers Magazine, Rolling Stone, The Globe and Mail and New York Times. In 2004 wrote and co-produced The Take, an award winning feature Documentary about Argentina’s occupied factory movement.

RECESSION RELIEF COALITION

House of Commons Confederation Building-Room 607

Ottawa, Ontario

K1A 0A6

Dear Minister Flaherty                                                                       January 27, 2009

The Recession Relief Coalition represents the over 225 organizations and over 1,000 individuals that signed the Recession Relief Fund Declaration. The 2009 Budget tabled today did not address the concerns of our country’s most vulnerable and the agencies that provide them with essential services.

The Declaration called for an increase in spending through HRSDC programs, including a doubling of funding to HPI (Homelessness Partnership Initiatives). There is no recognition that private sector donations, required by many agencies offering essential services, have plummeted. At the same time, demand has increased as more and more people become unemployed.

Although EI benefit periods have been extended by 5 weeks, barriers to qualification and waiting periods remain intact. It should be noted that only about a third of those who lose their job can qualify for benefits, even though many have paid into EI for years.

Training funding is welcome but does not appear to address youth and other people of employment age living in extreme poverty. Many require pre-training. Many require housing and other supports for several years before they are job ready.

We welcome the much needed $1 Billion allocated for repair and renovation of existing affordable housing stock, funds for seniors housing, on reservation housing and $75 million for people with disabilities. However, there appears to be little allocation for new affordable housing stock in urban areas. In addition, it is not clear if seniors’ housing will target housing for low income seniors and what the definition of disability means (For example, does it include individuals with mental disabilities?). There is clearly no fully funded National Housing Policy as requested in the Declaration.

The requirement for municipalities to apply to Ottawa and to line up matching funding is an issue. “Shovel ready” projects could be delayed for years due to the application process and the requirement of municipalities and possibly Provinces to provide matching funding. In addition, municipalities will not be free to set their own priorities but will be held captive to the agenda of the Federal Government.

Yours Truly

John Andras

Recession Relief Fund Coalition

jandras@recession-relief-coalition.org

(416) 860-7640 

RECESSION RELIEF

COALITION

The Recession Relief Fund Coalition is holding a Budget Watch

When: Tuesday January 27,2009, 3:30-6:00 p.m.

Where: The Meeting Place,

             588 Queen Street West

             (416) 504-4275

The Recession Relief Fund Coalition is holding a Budget watch and will comment on details of Tuesday’s Budget.

“We call on Ottawa to at least double funding levels to HPI (Homelessness partnership Initiatives) and other HRSDC programs that provide funding to not for profit agencies in recognition that donations from the private sector have fallen and demand for services has increased as more and more people find themselves unemployed,” said John Andras, Senior Vice President, Research Capital. “In addition, we demand that Ottawa implement a fully funded National Housing Program which includes the creation of significant new housing stock. We ask that funding pre-announced flow immediately and not be trickled out over a four or five year period”. Contact:

John Andras

416-860-7640

jandras@recession-relief-coalition.org

Media Advisory

Event and Photo Opportunity January 22, 2009

Recession Relief Fund Declaration Community Forum

The Recession Relief Fund is holding a community Forum at the Church of the Holy Trinity (next to the Eaton Centre) on Thursday January 22, 2009 between 11:00 and 1:30 p.m. A hot meal, including Moose Pie, catered by the Meeting Place will be provided.

The Community Forum will be a major gathering of agency representatives, homeless, unemployed and people from all walks of life concerned about the impact of the recession on Canada’s most vulnerable citizens. They will call for a Recession Relief Fund to be established by Ottawa to support the not for profit sector in a period of declining revenues and increased demand. They will also demand that Ottawa re-establish a fully funded National Housing Policy

There will be a public signing of the Recession Relief Fund Declaration which, to date, has been endorsed by over 200 organizations from across Canada and by over 900 individuals since it was launched on December 18.

John Andras

Senior Vice President/Portfolio Manager, Research Capital

Chair, SKETCH

Telephone: 416 860-7640

John Andras speaks about how the recession is effecting ordinary people

Jan 21/09

Recession Relief Fund

This is a time of fear.

People are afraid for their jobs, pensioners fear that they might lose their income, investors have lost 30-40% on the value of their equity accounts, they fear for their retirement. Homeowners are seeing the value of their homes dropping, they fear that they may lose their homes. Businesses are struggling with decreased revenues, gutted profitability some fear for their survival. Manufacturers to survive are closing factories and are laying people off. Mining companies and oil and gas companies find the value of the commodities they extract collapse. They are forced to close mines and to shut down drilling and development programs. Suncor, for example, has decreased capital spending for 2009 from $10 Billion to $3 Billion. How many jobs have been lost with $7 billion in spending cuts?

So what happens to folks who lose their jobs? EI? Only 30% of people who apply are eligible. Many people who have been paying into EI for years/decades find themselves ineligible, unable to receive help when they need it the most. However, even with eligibility barriers, put in place after the last recession in 1992, EI levels are up 14%year over year. For people and families needing social assistance, the future is especially bleak. For a single person you need to have assets of $572 or less to be eligible - For a family it’s $1,607. To make matters worse if you earn 38% of the minimum wage, you are cut off. So far, it appears that social assistance applications have not risen during the recession. By 1990, during the last recession, welfare applications were up 35% from the 1989 level. By 1991 they were up 70%. If it is in fact true that applications are not rising dramatically, it is a result of the barriers brought in by “workfare” in 1995.

You lose your job, you cannot get EI, you are rapidly running through your assets. You are under severe stress, your family, if you haven’t lost your family, is under severe stress. Where do you go? You go to the not for profit sector for job counseling, retraining, debt counseling, food banks, drop-ins, primary health care and, in the worst case, shelter. It is disturbing that families are starting to be seen in Oshawa shelters and from Oshawa in Toronto shelters. Increased stress being experienced by people leading to an increase in violence in the Drop-ins and shelters. Shelters are operating at capacity. There is widespread bed bug infestation and no slack in the system to allow for closures to fumigate.

There are families who would have been considered middle class in better days that are seeking help from food banks, drop-ins and other support agencies. I am not talking about people you might consider chronically homeless. I’m talking about working families, just like many in the room. Consider what happens to a young couple. Both work in Oshawa at GM. They have recently bought a house-paid more then they could really afford-but their parents and maybe Grandparents worked on the same lines. All of a sudden they are laid off, the mortgage payments are overdue, and, oh yes, they’re pregnant…As the recession deepens, the demand on agencies offering essential services will only rise.

At the very time that demand for services is increasing, funding is declining. Donation levels, in some cases are down 30-40%. Individuals are pulling back on discretionary spending including charitable spending. Corporations are struggling for survival and are not sponsoring at previous levels. Foundation endowment funds have been gutted and they are no longer able to donate at previous levels. Funding lines from HRSDC, set to expire on March 31, have not been officially renewed and/or expanded. Agencies have been forced to issue layoff notices, have terminated programs and some may have to close their doors.

In a time of fear, people come together to work on the common good.

In November of this year, a group of agencies, foundations, business people and individuals came together to form the Recession Relief Fund Coalition. On December 18 we launched the Recession Relief Fund Declaration. The Declaration calls on the Federal government to create a recession relief fund which will include:

• Preventing spending cuts to public and private not for profit agencies serving vulnerable people including children, youth, families, immigrants, those who are homeless, un/under employed, senior citizens, people who are disabled and those suffering from mental illness.
• Increase funding to all HRSDC (Human Resources and Social Development Canada) and settlement programs, including doubling the existing level of funding that is being provided through the HPI (Homelessness partnership Initiatives) program to supplement funding that is projected to be lost from private sector sources and increase funding levels as required.
• In addition, we call upon the federal government to invest a portion of the proposed infrastructure spending on social infrastructure spending on a fully funded National Housing Program.

The Declaration, in one month, has been indorsed by over 200 organizations from across Canada. There are agencies, unions, faith groups City governments, and businesses. There also have been over 903 individuals. More are signing up every day. We have distributed the Declaration to all party leaders, all MPs, have consulted and met with representatives from the Mayor’s office, City Council and staff and have received considerable media interest in an attempt, in some small way to influence the Conservative Government in its Budget process and/or the direction of a possible coalition government.

With funding drying up from the private sector, it is truly incumbent on the public sector to increase funding to both replace lost funding levels and to recognize the increased demand. The City of Toronto, in a letter from the Mayor, released January 6^th, calls on Ottawa to renew the Homelessness partnership Strategy. Aware of the plight facing the agencies, the City further urges Ottawa to at least double the existing levels of funding beyond March 2009 to $35M annually as a bridge to a fully funded long term national housing strategy with a clear commitment to end homelessness.

For folks living with low incomes and those forced to look for affordable housing due to job and economic loss there are few options. The waiting time for an affordable housing unit in Toronto is over 15 years. Almost 10 years ago the Golden Report called on the immediate creation of 5,000 units of supportive housing and 2,000 units of affordable housing to be built per year to keep pace with demand. Until recently, very few new units have been built. It is safe to say there is a shortfall of at least 20,000 affordable housing units in the GTA.

Governments, to help jumpstart the economy, often provide funding for infrastructure. Infrastructural spending creates jobs and provides a lasting legacy that lasts long after the economy recovers. Existing affordable and supportive housing stock is all too often in disrepair. The Toronto City Summit Alliance and the Toronto Board of Trade in a joint submission, for example, calls for the repair and refurbishment of existing housing stock. They call on an additional $100 million per year generating, they believe, 2,500 new jobs per year. The City of Toronto joins the call by asking for a “fully funded National Housing strategy with a commitment to end homelessness with appropriate and sustainable resources to construct and repair affordable housing”.

The Recession Relief Fund Declaration is in alignment with requests being made to Ottawa from both the City and the Toronto Board of Trade/Toronto City Summit Alliance. Politicians, Business leaders, faith leaders and leaders in the social service community all are in agreement.

A time of fear is a time for action!

Ottawa must act and must act now. The social infrastructure is unraveling due to lack of funds. Unless adequate funding is provided to EI and social assistance, unless the agencies are recognized and supported as the essential services they are, unless there is infrastructural funding to build new affordable housing and to renew existing housing stock, those losing their jobs will fall fast and hard. The social safety net that we all believe in and expect to be there for us and our families in a time of need is tattered, torn and unless repaired may not be there when you or someone you love need it.

I urge you to act, to sign on the Recession Relief Fund Declaration. I urge you to pray in your faith for our government in Ottawa that they may do the right thing and create a Budget for the people, that they show us a road map for the next few years that is realistic, compassionate and lays the foundation for our common future. If the current government is unable to rise to meet the challenges of the current crisis, I urge you to pray for the MPs in the other parties, that they may be guided to do what’s right for all the citizens of this great country.

I thank you

John Andras

 Media Advisory: For Immediate Release

Recession Relief Fund Declaration Goes National

Toronto, January 7, 2009:

Since the launch on December 18, 2008, The Recession Relief Fund Declaration has been endorsed by over 140 organizations from Vancouver Island to Moncton.

“The response from coast to coast indicates that agencies are feeling the strain of the recession. Communities across Canada are facing the fall-out of plant, factory, mill, and mine closures. Workers and families need the essential services of food banks, drop-ins and shelters ”, stated John Andras, Senior Vice President of Research Capital and Recession Relief Fund Coalition member. “At the very time we need the agencies the most, they are being forced to issue layoff notices.”

Donations from individuals, foundations and corporations are down for most agencies. In some cases the decline in donations are 30% or more.

“Many of the programs funded by HRSDC (Human Resource Social Development Canada) are due to expire on March 31, 2009” claims Anne Carruthers, Manager of the Toronto Drop-in Network. “Agencies relying on these funds have not been told whether funding will be terminated, extended or increased. How can agencies plan to meet the increased demand when they have no confirmation of critical project funding?”

The Recession Relief Fund Declaration calls on the Federal government to:

·        Prevent federal spending cuts to public and private not for profit agencies serving vulnerable people.

·        Increase funding to supplement funding lost from private sector sources (individuals, Foundations, corporations) and  increase funding as required to meet increased demand for services

·        Invest a portion of proposed infrastructure spending on social infrastructure by implementing a fully funded National Housing Program.

“This is a National crisis. We urge every agency, every business, every individual across Canada to sign on to the Declaration”, said Mr. Andras. “The Federal Government as the Budget is being drawn up must be reminded of its responsibility to the swelling numbers of Canadians in need”

Contacts:

John Andras                                                                           Anne Carruthers

Senior Vice President                                                             Manager

Research Capital                                                                     Toronto Drop-in Network

416 860-7640                                                                          416 824-4172

jandras@recession-relief-coalition.org                                aFitzpatrick@recession-relief-coalition.org

Media Advisory: For Immediate Release

Recession Relief Fund Declaration Launched

Media Advisory: For Immediate Release

Recession Relief Fund Declaration Launched

Federal Government Spending Mandatory to Support Canada’s Most Vulnerable

Toronto, December 18, 2008:

The Recession Relief Coalition, a network of agencies, foundations and business people, is calling for the Federal Government to create a Recession Relief Fund, which will provide support for agencies, such as food banks, drop-ins, shelters and employment centres, providing essential services to Canada’s most vulnerable people. This fund would also provide money for a National Housing Program.

“Foundations have had their endowment funds hit by the collapse in equity prices, many companies are fighting for their survival. Individuals are experiencing declining net worth and are afraid of losing their jobs.” stated John Andras, Senior Vice President, Research Capital. “We cannot expect the private sector to maintain the donation levels to front line service providers”

As donations decline, demand is increasing. Food Bank usage is rising and drop-ins are seeing greater numbers requiring services, including more families.

“Many folks, when they lose their jobs, can hang on 60-90 days before we start to see them” asserted Bob Rose, Program Director, Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre, a member of the Toronto Drop-in Network. “With 60,000 jobs lost in November in Ontario alone, we know demand is going to increase dramatically”.

“Unless the Federal Government steps up to close the funding gap, many agencies will have to lay-off staff, close programs and in some cases will not be able to survive” said                 

Bill Morari, President, The Rotary Club of Toronto. “This will only increase the load on an already over stretched system. The private and charitable sectors cannot do this alone”. 

What we are seeing is happening in every municipality across Canada. The Government of Canada must provide emergency funding now. “We urge every agency, every business, every individual across Canada to sign the Declaration”, said Mr. Andras. “We must act now, while the Budget is being drawn up, to remind Ottawa that people are hurting and that the Federal Government has a responsibility to all Canadians.”

Contacts:

John Andras                                                            Bob Rose                              Bill Morari

Senior Vice President                                            Program Director                   President

Research Capital                                                    PARC                                    The Rotary Club of Toronto          

416 860-7640                                                         416 718-1437                        416 364-3247

jandras@recession-relief-coalition.org                brose@parc.on.ca                 morari@thenationalclub.com

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