Comments on: Tell Your Story

By: Nadia

Nadia — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 21:07:28 +0000

It’s not really a story because I don’t want to go into the details of my experience with Ontario Works but the one thing that has been extremely frustrating for me is being forced into workshops that don’t benefit me in my job search. Not only being forced but going to the same types of workshops more than once. I just feel that resources could be better used if recipients had more choices as to the programs they take. I’m an older worker, in my fifties who has worked in manufacturing for most of my life. It’s been a very painful number of years for me trying to get any work other than temporary work. I attended a workshop which had a co-op placement but they really pressured me to sign up for agency work. I strongly feel that it’s a basic human rights issue to chose which jobs you will apply for. The experience left me feeling helpless and depressed and it’s something that I think about to this day. I wanted the chance to try for other types of work to get out of temporary jobs that were just a vicious cycle. The onus should be on the long term and not just some temporary fix so the current policy of “fastest route to work” makes for some pretty bullying situations with social workers and some of the employment training providers as well. That’s been my personal experience unfortunately.

By: Slayer

Slayer — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 17:51:02 +0000

If we try to get ahead they deduct it off our cheque. Is it to teach us a lesson for being sick? If I was working I could work 2 or even more jobs without it being deducted off my pay!

By: Slayer

Slayer — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 17:48:19 +0000

I’d like too know why I can’t afford to live like a normal person. I don’t even make minimum wage. ODSP is supposed to cover a paycheque but it don’t add up. Instead we get treated like we wanted to be on ODSP. It just seems the cheques don’t keep up with the price increases. They say we got a raise 2% what is that when everything else went up 10% or more.

By: ruthf

ruthf — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 03:15:03 +0000

I was injured in 1998, ruined my left shoulder and had to deal with WSIB. After 3 years of stress fighting for myself and children I had to go on OW till I finally got my compensation, then I was cut off till my money was spent. Since then I worked off and on since I was not able to do repetitive work, raise my arm or neck above my head, or any heavy lifting,anyone have any ideas? Or my WSIB would be affected negatively. Although OW had the letter from WSIB I was still made to work, at jobs I shouldn’t have and in notes about me was stated that I only want to take certain jobs and not complying, being difficult. 14 years later after pain, emotional distress (due to gov programs), and deterioration of my shoulder, my last worker put me on ODSP wondering why I hadn’t been put on it earlier, hhmmm! Now I’m afraid about my next fight with ODSP, because I might not be disabled enough. If I wasn’t so stubborn it would probably drive me to drink. What now? Ive wasted all this time fighting agencies that are supposed to be there to help those in need!

By: Jessica

Jessica — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:26:29 +0000

I am single with no kids. I pay rent at home $400 a month. I’m on O.W. I am furious with them because I decided I wanted to go back to school. It is a private college and I did get accepted for OSAP, but they are not paying for my living expenses. But O.W is cutting me off regardless. Which is believe is stupid. I want to better myself and my future but how am I supposed to do that if I don’t have a place to live. This system confuses me so much. As well I had a friend who lived on his own and they gave him $596 or so a month his rent was $450. Now explain to me how this poor guy is supposed to live off $150 for the rest of the month???

By: steph

steph — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:43:45 +0000

I have been on this crap for 7 years. I have done nothing but tried day in and day out to get out of this hole I’m in… I can’t find a place to live with my son because of the prices of rent in Ottawa…. I can’t find nothing for less than $1000 a month and I am only getting $600 for rent .. which makes me really look at at least a 1 bedroom so my son at least has a room to live in… I also can’t get Ottawa housing due to a long 3 year waiting list…. I don’t ask a lot. All I want is somewhere to live to get on my feet again…

By: mike

mike — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 07:43:47 +0000

Me and my wife have been on OW for almost a year now. We went threw a eviction that should have never happened. Argued with our landlord for 4 months about the septic backing up and it contaminated the well drinking WATER. So well I called the health department about it. I also been calling the landlord every day and would get told “u rent u fix it”. Health department came out for 3 months straight and kept saying he had to fix it. They gave him a deadline and he didn’t meet it but yet nothing was done about it. He went to the sheriff without even notifying us and all of a sudden the sheriff came to the door in about 2 weeks and said “u have 3 days”. I said I didn’t get no notice for court or notice about this. Well 3 days came and Monday 2:15 we were evicted. I now live in a HOMELESS SHELTER and went to OW for help with first and last and got told no. “I live in a shelter for god sakes”, I said, “how can’t u want to just help me?” Well easy way said is “no more or less” from the OW worker. I think if you live in a shelter for reasons beyond your control you should be able to turn to OW for help, not them saying “well, we pay for u at the shelter”. For what, crappy food and water? Thanks so much for our social assistance program. OW, I think that you are Rude Crude and Very Wrong and it’s not there to help you because OW would rather see you homeless than help you with first and last! Thanks for reading my thoughts People!! Mike

By: ticked off and too exhausted to fight

ticked off and too exhausted to fight — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 16:36:57 +0000

I have been on Ontario Works for only a few months because I live in a town where the jobless rate is so high, 800 people showed up to a job fair for only 35 jobs! So I had to go on Ontario Works to help out with my half of rent etc. Told them my half of ALL monthly expenses is $800 PLUS I have to pay back OSAP which is SUPPOSED to be $250/month. Well they only give me $600 each month which covers rent and one of many bills so basically I am starving. They have proved to be the best diet since thanks to them I now lose about 5 lbs a MONTH due to lack of funds for basic needs. OSAP is hounding me and my debt load that started at $14,000 for school is now closer to $20,000. Thanks, but I never wanted to be like a model.

By: Richie Black

Richie Black — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 17:00:49 +0000

I have been on social assistance for about two years, trying hard to find a job, food, reasonable rent that I can afford all to no avail. I have been on the street before because of a social worker cutting my money. I was kicked out of a place where my cheque was being sent to pay for a room, I did not receive the rent, was locked out and went to my worker for help. BIG F*ING MISTAKE. Soon as I did not have a place to rent they treated my like a criminal. I was on the street that day. From roughly $590 to $220 because they will not give you anything but basic needs. That is just one story out of the hundreds that I have. Most rooms for rent around $400 a month are crack houses or basements that have more then their share of problems. I’m malnourished from lack of eating correctly because my basic needs is only $220 a month. Try living off $220 a month for food, soap, toothpaste and clothing. This means I can’t wash my clothing unless I don’t want to eat. I can’t pay bills. I can’t get out of this hole. Furthermore 5here is a stigma to renting to someone on social assistance. THEY JUST WON’T RENT TO YOU!!!!

By: Family of four

Family of four — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 05:23:07 +0000

My boyfriend and I have been on OW for five years now. We now have 2 children ages 2 and 6 months, and can never seem to get ahead. The amount that we get does not pay for food costs that we need or rental costs. Our maximum rental allowance is only 6 or 7 hundred and need a 3 bedroom house or apartment and they cost over one thousand for a half decent one. Clothing for our growing children is gone, and families like mine cannot continue to provide the much needed cost of childcare. We have been searching for years for a secure job, but we need schooling which they will not fund. Something seriously needs to be done about this. If they were to raise the amount, education could be done and we could get a good paying job to properly take care of our family. No one wants to be on welfare forever, but not raising the rates is keeping people on it for longer. No one is able to save any money with these ridiculous rates. Please, as a mother who wants to give my children a better life, please raise the rates. Help is much needed for OW families.