My Support Forums - View Single Post - Got approved for basic social assistance yesterday

Gummie · Sep 18, 2017 at 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by splitimage

I was approved for Ontario Works yesterday. It's the most basic form of social assistance in Ontario, and is available to anyone who has no other income.

The amount it pays out, are ridiculously low - the housing allowance is $376 a month. You can't even rent a room for that. Even the case worker I talked to admitted the housing allowance was too low, but that's what the ministry had set it at. By contrast my rent is $660 a month. I'm not sure what the basic needs allowance is, but I think it's around $350 a month.

The good news is now that I've been approved for Ontario Works, I'm deemed financially eligible for disability, and now can start the process of applying for disability insurance, once they mail me the forms. So I'll take them into my Dr. the next time I see him.

The bad news is I've been told that the approval time, once they receive the documentation is 8 months. And I can't work during that time.

Good thing I've got family willing to help me financially.

splitimage

Sounds like Ontario could benefit from a guaranteed income supplement that could help out people like you get ahead in a time of need. It's the conservatives in Canada that say such a program like that is too costly, and that one should pick themselves up by the bootstraps (bootstrap mentality) in order to get themselves out of their situation. Ends up costing the country more money in the long run to not implement these progressive programs?