Summary
This morning the government announced that Ontario is providing $200M in social services relief funding to protect the health and safety of our provinces most vulnerable people, including those who live in poverty, are homeless or unemployed.
The Social Services Relief Fund will provide additional resources directly to individuals and families in financial crisis, and municipalities delivering critical social services.
We are expanding access to Emergency Assistance under Ontario Works to support individuals who may be ineligible for federal financial support, or awaiting further details. This is available for individuals not already on social assistance, with limited income, assets or credit who are in a crisis or an emergency situation. For those currently receiving social assistance who need increased support, we are expanding discretionary benefits, making funds for extraordinary needs more flexible and accessible, while at the same time ensuring there is no disruption to current assistance.
Municipalities and other organizations that provide social services will be eligible to receive funding to support their response to COVID-19. Shelters, food banks, charities and non-profits will have access to flexible funding to help cope with growing demands and extraordinary circumstances. We encourage non-profits, food banks, and other charitable organizations to reach out to their local municipalities to offer support in whatever ways they can.
If you have constituents who are in need of emergency assistance they should visit: Ontario.ca/Community
Key Messages
Effective immediately, our government is providing $200M in social services relief funding to help protect the health and safety of the province’s most vulnerable people.
We thank the federal government for putting forward a number of supportive measures. To support individuals in the meantime, as those supports begin to flow, we’re providing immediate support to help those who need it most right now.
- No one should have to worry about how they are going to provide for themselves and their families.
- To support individuals, we are expanding access to temporary emergency assistance for those in financial crisis who have no access to other supports.
- For those receiving social assistance who need increased support, we are expanding discretionary benefits, making funds for extraordinary needs more flexible and accessible, while ensuring there is no disruption to current assistance.
- This funding will help individuals in financial crisis cover costs for food, rent, medicine, transportation and other services during this public health crisis.