Poverty Awareness in York Region

ISARC Hearing a First for York Region

What is it like to live in poverty? What is it like to not have enough to pay for food and rent? What is it like to have to resort to the local food bank or be too proud to? What is it like to tell your children you cannot afford to buy them new clothes or school trips?


As part of a provincial Social Audit, people living in Y.R. will get a chance to speak out (April 20010) regarding their lived experiences of poverty at one of several province wide Hearings.

“Y.R. has long had a reputation of being this wonderfully prosperous region, however I think the recession has brought the brutal reality of poverty to our doors in increasing numbers exposing how vulnerable and extensively ingrained we really are,” says Tom Pearson Chairman of Poverty Action for Change Coalition (PACC) and Co-Convener of the Y.R. audit.

Living in poverty is not just restricted to persons who are recipients of Ontario Works or of the Ontario Disability Support Program. People working hard in low paying jobs are also falling into poverty. As Ontario weathers the recession, more and more individuals and families are falling into poverty and homelessness.

“Statistics don’t lie and they tell us poverty has increased significantly in YR”, Co-Convener of the social audit and YR Food Network Programs Coordinator Yvonne Kelly states, “we hope the audit will act as an aid in forming food security, policy, and solutions”

Social service providers, front-line workers and local politicians will also have opportunity to reveal thoughts and messages in regards to poverty issues as part of the audit’s set-up.

In May 2010, participants from this and other provincial Interfaith Social Assistance Reform Coalition (ISARC) Hearings will gather at Queen’s Park with others from across Ontario, to share their lived experiences of poverty with the Members of the Provincial Parliament. ISARC hopes that these stories will move the Ontario government to realize that more needs to be done to eliminate poverty across our province.

The Social Audit is being sponsored by ISARC and is supported by religious leaders and other citizens from our area and across the province. Since 1986, ISARC has provided a means for faith communities to work together for social justice and to contribute to new public policies based on greater justice and dignity for Ontarians marginalized by poverty.

For further information, to participate in the audit by telling your story or join the planning committee, please contact: 905-967-0428 ext: 205

The Interfaith Social Assistance Reform Coalition (ISARC) is a provincial network of faith groups working together for greater social justice. ISARC was born out of the hope that together a coalition of faith groups could contribute to new public policies based upon greater justice and dignity for Ontarians marginalized by poverty.

In 1986 the Ontario government appointed an independent Social Assistance Review Committee (SARC) to study, consult, and make recommendations on the future of welfare. ISARC's original mandate was to provide advice to that Committee. In the past decade, in concert with many other concerned groups, ISARC has advocated in support of SARC's original recommendations for an adequate, accessible, fair, and accountable social assistance system.

ISARC brings together representatives and members of faith groups to discuss the root causes of poverty, addressing issues of hunger, and homelessness in Ontario. ISARC meets and works with leaders from all political parties to support and develop legislation that will provide help to those most in need. ISARC has hosted province-wide hearings, held consultations and briefings, made presentations to legislative committees, and developed publications and resources that give a voice to low-income people.

This central message, shared by religious communities throughout the world, inspires people of faith to respond to our neighbours in need. When anyone is hungry while others have too much to eat, when anyone has no shelter while others live in luxury, or when anyone lives in poverty while others enjoy affluence, justice is not present. Where justice is not present, the quality of all our lives and communities disappears. Justice is the mutual responsibility of individuals, communities, and government working together for a better future.

For Immediate Release: Tues Feb 20 2010


Hearing to include York Region for 1st Time!

ISARC – Interfaith Social Audit
Contact: Brice Balmer, Director
Interfaith Social Assistance Reform Coalition
P.O. Box 25067 – SDM
Kitchener, ON N2A 4A5
(519) 884-0710 x 3927
balmer@isarc.ca
PACC Media Contact: 289-221-0928