Thank you.
It's important to acknowledge that some people think that people on social assistance are all deadbeats and don't want to work. We can tell you that for the women we've talked to, nothing could be further from that. They want to have the dignity that is denied them when they're poor and on welfare.
Some of the issues they face are abuse ones. Women often have to turn to social assistance when they face abusive relationships, and that applied to one-third to one half of the lone mothers we interviewed.
On poverty and profound material deprivation, the women don't have enough food to feel their children, never mind worrying about feeding them healthy food. And 40% of lone mothers live below the Statistics Canada poverty line.
It's very difficult for women to find adequate child care, especially if they have to work after hours. It's easy to get a subsidy for child care, but it's very difficult to find a day care that takes that subsidy. So that's also a hurdle.
Housing is another big hurdle. Of the 42 women we're following in Toronto, at least 27 families have moved within the last two years alone. We have found that when women live in social housing that is adequately maintained, it's a major factor in enabling lone mothers to leave assistance.
On education and training, I'll give you a personal example. I'm aboriginal, first nation, and I had to fight my band to fund me. It's not as easy as it seems. Once I started going to the University of Toronto I was hired as a relief worker at an addiction centre. With the money I made there I paid for my own college so I could get a degree in addiction counselling. There is a link there if women have adequate access to university.
As far as the labour market, most jobs are minimum wage. Even $12 a hour can't sustain a woman and her family.
On getting caught in the safety net, the failure of systems, single mums living on poverty rely on different supports and systems like OW, ODSP, child welfare, and housing. They are often vulnerable because they are left to manage and navigate these systems alone. An example we had was a woman who had to give her kids to her parents temporarily so she could find a place to live. When she found a place to live the welfare system would not give her enough money to pay for the last month's rent because they deemed her to be a single person. She couldn't get her kids back until she had the place, and she couldn't get the place until she had her kids back. It was a Catch-22.
On dealing with the issues we've outlined, you can refer to our report.
I will turn it back over to Judit.
Thank you.