The London Homeless Coalition is reaching out to municipal politicians for support in its bid for a bump in social assistance rates across the province.
The group is requesting delegation status to speak at the community and protective services committee about its call to see an immediate increase of $245 per month for a single adult on Ontario Works.
"We really want to create this grassroots movement from the municipalities to go to the province and say 'look, we are happy to administer this program but if it is going to be a successful program then we need more funding for each individual on it,'" said Abe Oudshoorn, coalition spokesperson.
Funding for Ontario Works is controlled by the provincial government, while municipalities, like London, are merely responsible for doling out the funds to those who rely on the program.
Currently, shelter allowance for a person living alone is $376 per month but Oudshoorn points out that is a far cry from the $621 plus needed monthly for a bachelor apartment in the city.
"You see people having to make decisions about not having food, not having transportation, not having new clothing just so they can make rent," said Oudshoorn. "We don't think that is a very healthy situation for anyone."
Inadequate social assistance rates has led to more people seeking affordable housing in London. Roughly 2,900 families are on the waiting list for affordable housing, a wait that can take several years, according to Oudshoorn. He notes a higher welfare rate could actually save the province money in the long term.
"When we look at homelessness we talk about emergency shelters, we talk about affordable housing. In a lot of ways these programs are in response to insufficient income in the first place. Although it sounds like a big cost in terms of increasing spending on social assistance you'd be able to see costs decreasing in those other areas," Oudshoorn said.
If London city council backs the Coalition's campaign for a higher Ontario Works rate, Oudshoorn believes it will make it easier to get similar support from other Ontario municipalities.
"Our vision is if we have London behind us, then we can take this conservation to a higher level, to other municipalities around the province who are facing the same struggles and by having our city on board already it makes it a lot easier to ask others to join us," said Oudshoorn.