Community Planning For Women’s Economic Security in Elgin-St. Thomas Preface & acknowledgements

Pathways to Prosperity in Elgin-St. Thomas began with the financial support of Status of Women Canada in March 2012 to advance women’s economic security and opportunities for local prosperity through the following efforts: • Enhance understanding and awareness of barriers and local supports to women’s economic security • Collaborate to identify gaps, priorities and opportunities and implement supports and strategies • Develop a community plan & take specific actions to address the economic situation of women living in St. Thomas and Elgin County Over the past year, service providers and stakeholders from diverse service sectors and municipal governments have come together to form the Pathways to Prosperity Advisory Council in support of community planning for women’s economic security. Their contributions are instrumental in identifying existing services and gaps as well as areas to develop in working towards positive outcomes for women. With the support of the Pathways to Prosperity Advisory Council and community partners, over 600 women from a range of backgrounds in communities across Elgin County participated in consultations and surveys to identify local needs and viewpoints. Women graciously shared their varied experiences of economic struggle and well-being, not only around challenges faced, but also of available supports and opportunities. Reaching out to local women ensures that women’s perspectives are at the heart of a community plan to address their economic needs. We are grateful to the many women, organizations and individuals who have contributed their time, talent and passion to deepen sharing and enhance research, consultations and planning meetings. The research gathered through these efforts is presented in this report. The report begins with a community snapshot and profile that highlights socioeconomic factors impacting women in St. Thomas-Elgin with a focus on economic security and gender-based analysis. The research process to gather additional information around local needs, supports and opportunities through surveys & community engagement is presented along with a profile of the survey participants. Emerging areas of need are identified in building a foundation for women’s economic security to form recommendations that we hope will guide action planning. In moving forward, the continued commitment of service providers, stakeholders, communities and individuals to work together to bring about tangible results for women is vital. Together, we can foster an environment where women can access, acquire and maintain a level of resources that will not only support basic needs of living but afford a quality of life that encompasses their full inclusion.

1 Pathways to Prosperity Advisory Council Members

Alfredo Marroquin St. Thomas Elgin Local Immigration Partnership Bernie Wielhe Municipality of West Elgin Candace Parrack Thames Valley District School Board Alternative School Cheryl Simmons YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin – Residence Manager Cora Burns Elgin County Child Care Advisory Committee Courtney Brooke Laurie Elgin St. Thomas Public Health Debra Mountenay Elgin Middlesex Oxford Workforce Planning and Development Board Deisy Vanegas Violence Against Women Services Elgin County Denise Esson Employment Services Elgin & Elgin St. Thomas Youth Employment Counselling Centre Gayle Bogart Township of Southwold Heather Moller Central Community Health Centre Heather Sheridan St. Thomas-Elgin Ontario Works Janet Baker Elgin St. Thomas Public Health Linda Stevenson Community Member Marilyn Crewe Elgin Business Resource Centre Mickie Keefer St. Thomas-Elgin Second Stage Housing Mike Amato Fanshawe College Russell Matthews Municipality of Central Elgin Sean Dyke St. Thomas Economic Development Corporation Selvin Mejia YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin - Settlement Services Shelley Harris YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin – Adult Education & Employment Stephanie Skelding West Elgin Community Health Centre Susan Loewen Mennonite Community Services Vicki Luke Agriculture & Rural Economic Development Advisor

Pathways to Prosperity Project Team Kellie Coelho YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin – Pathways to Prosperity Project Coordinator Lindsay Rice YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin – Pathways to Prosperity Project Coordinator Petrusia Hontar St. Thomas-Elgin Local Immigration Partnership & Pathways to Prosperity Research Consultant Pathways to Prosperity: Community Planning for Women’s Economic Security in Elgin St. Thomas is graciously funded by:

2 contents

Snapshot of Demographics of Elgin County and St. Thomas in 2006/2011...... 5 Economic Security ...... 7 Gender Based Analysis ...... 7 Elgin County and St. Thomas Community Profile ...... 8 Population ...... 9 Labour Market ...... 10 Industry ...... 10 Occupations ...... 11 Labour Force Participation ...... 12 Employment Rate ...... 13 Percent Unemployed ...... 13 Unpaid Labour ...... 14 Income ...... 15 Household and Family Characteristics ...... 17 Education ...... 18 Health ...... 20 Housing ...... 20 Adequate Conditions ...... 21 Suitable Size ...... 21 Housing Affordability ...... 21 Research Method - the research process ...... 22 Gathering Information ...... 22 Surveys ...... 22 Community Engagement & Consultations ...... 22 Survey Participants ...... 22 Gender ...... 23 Age ...... 23 Area of Residence ...... 23 Income ...... 24 Marital Status ...... 24 Education ...... 25 Building a Foundation - Emerging Areas of Need for Elgin ...... 26 Awareness of Services ...... 27 Dependent Care ...... 27 Discrimination and Violence ...... 28 Education ...... 29 Employment and Income ...... 30

3 Snapshot of Demographics of Elgin County and St. Thomas in 2006/2011...... 5 Food Security ...... 31 Economic Security ...... 7 Health ...... 33 Gender Based Analysis ...... 7 Housing ...... 34 Elgin County and St. Thomas Community Profile ...... 8 Newcomers to Canada ...... 36 Population ...... 9 Poverty ...... 36 Labour Market ...... 10 Skill Development ...... 37 Industry ...... 10 Social Supports ...... 38 Occupations ...... 11 Transportation ...... 39 Labour Force Participation ...... 12 Workforce Development ...... 39 Employment Rate ...... 13 Recommendations ...... 40 Percent Unemployed ...... 13 Coordination ...... 41 Unpaid Labour ...... 14 Awareness ...... 41 Income ...... 15 Advocacy ...... 41 Household and Family Characteristics ...... 17 Appendices ...... 42 Education ...... 18 Best Practices ...... 43 Health ...... 20 Pathways to Prosperity Community Engagement & Consultation Processes ...... 45 Housing ...... 20 Project Awareness & Information Sharing, Outreach & Support ...... 47 Adequate Conditions ...... 21 Suitable Size ...... 21 Elgin-St. Thomas Stakeholder Survey ...... 48 Housing Affordability ...... 21 Service Provider & Stakeholder Consultation: Supports, Needs, Opportunities ...... 53 Research Method - the research process ...... 22 Elgin-St. Thomas Resident Survey ...... 57 Gathering Information ...... 22 Community Consultations: Supports, Needs, Opportunities ...... 69 Surveys ...... 22 Community Engagement & Consultations ...... 22 Survey Participants ...... 22 Gender ...... 23 Age ...... 23 Area of Residence ...... 23 Income ...... 24 Marital Status ...... 24 Education ...... 25 Building a Foundation - Emerging Areas of Need for Elgin ...... 26 Awareness of Services ...... 27 Dependent Care ...... 27 Discrimination and Violence ...... 28 Education ...... 29 Employment and Income ...... 30

4 snaPshot of demograPhics of elgin county and st. thomas in 2006/2011

derived from 2006/2011 census and workforce data

Population • In 2011 there were 87,461 people living in Elgin County of which 37,905 lived in St. Thomas • The population has grown 2.5% in the County including St. Thomas, 0.6% in Elgin County alone, and 5.0% in St. Thomas from 2006 to 2011 • There are slightly more females in St. Thomas at 51.9% which is the reverse of the proportion of women in the County alone at 49.9% of the population in 2011. • The age distribution has also changed since 2006. The largest growth was seen in those aged 60 to 73. Declines were seen in the age 6 to 22 years and 30 to 45 populations. • The median age of the population in the county is 40.9 years; the median age of women is slightly older at 41.8 years. • The population density of Elgin County and St. Thomas is 46.5 people/km2, is 1067.3 people /km2 for St. Thomas and is 26.8 people/km2 for Elgin without St. Thomas. Cultural Diversity • Elgin County is home to 12,000-15,000 Low German Speaking families. • In 2006, Elgin County including St. Thomas was 13.1% immigrants, with St. Thomas being 9.7% and Elgin County 15.7%. • Within the 2001-2006 Census period St. Thomas attracted 9.8% of the immigrant population and Elgin attracted 10.7% of the immigrant families. • In 2006 St. Thomas had 3.7% visible minorities and Elgin had only 1.5% visible minorities, the majority of the im- migrants into Elgin County are of European decent. Labour Force • 56.7% of all workers in Elgin are employed by Small and Medium sized enterprises. • Participation rates in St. Thomas and Elgin were 67% in 2010. • Employment rates in St. Thomas and Elgin dropped to 59.6% in 2010. • Unemployment rates in St. Thomas and Elgin were 11.1%, an improvement on the 13% in 2009. Industry • Manufacturing represents 30% of the workforce in Elgin County and St. Thomas; Females represent 24% of the manufacturing workforce and males 76%. • The largest percent of females are employed in the Healthcare and Education Industry, accounting for 13% of the workforce, 3% for males. Occupation • Sales and Services represent 21% of the workforce in Elgin County and St. Thomas in 2006, with females occupying 62% of these jobs. • Trades represent 20% of the workforce in Elgin County and St. Thomas in 2006, with females representing 10% of these jobs.

5 Household and Family Characteristics • There are 25,300 families in Elgin County of which 10,975 families live in St. Thomas in 2011. • In Elgin 13.8% of families are single parent families. Of the single parent families, female run are 77.7% and male run are 22.2% in 2011. • There are 1.1 children living at home on average for all families in 2011, 42% of families reported having no children living at home. Income • On average people earned $27,982 in St. Thomas ($38,583 for males and $19,990 for females) and $27, 182 ($31,270 for males and $19,484 for females) in Elgin County in 2006. • Ontario Works Social Assistance is accessed by 3045 families in St. Thomas and Elgin County combined. This represents 3.48% of the population; in St. Thomas 5.74% and in Elgin 1.75%. Education • The population over the age of 15 that does not have any formal education is 29.8% in Elgin County including St. Thomas, (27.9% for females and 31.8% for males) 32% in Elgin County alone (30.5% for females and 34.9% for males), and 26% in St. Thomas alone(24.5% for females and 27.3% for males). Health • 12.8% of males and 17.4% of females report perceived life stress • 92 of 100,000 males and 105 of 100,000 females report hospitalization for Mental Health • 77.9% of males and 79.7% of females report a sense of community belonging

6 economic security Economic security is the accessibility of resources to individuals in a consumerist society. Everybody defines Economic Security based on their social context, meaning many things to many people. The definitions collected from the St. Thomas and Elgin community ranged from meeting basic needs and stability to having an income and saving. One response from the survey stated “Economic Security is having the financial means to support yourself or your family comfortably. This would include having the finances to provide basic needs but also financial security for the future.” Although one standard definition does not exist, the definition from Economic Security Project at Simon Fraser University will be used throughout the report. Economic security refers to an assured and stable standard of living that provides individuals and families with the necessary level of resources to participate economically, politically, socially, culturally, and with dignity in their communities. Security goes beyond mere physical survival to encompass a level of resources that promotes social inclusion.

Although economic security is a struggle for a diverse range of people, females experience specific barriers that directly affect their ability to obtain economic security, namely issues like equitable pay, living wage, and gender discrimination. Furthermore, some factors to achieving Economic Security have been socialized to affect females more, specifically childcare and dependent care, transportation, and food security. These issues are explored through a gender based analysis in this report. gender Based analysis Gender based analysis is a tool used to help isolate the effects on a certain gender. In the case of this study, females are considered apart from males to determine areas that have different effects on women than on men. After a barrier is established to affect women differently, there is consideration of more specific attributes of the population, age, education, area of residence and so forth. By combining the power of gender based analysis with the further analysis of the study, results can be targeted to help specific populations.

Source: http://www.swc-cfc.gc.ca/pol/gba-acs/over-aper-eng.pdf

7 elgin county and st. thomas community Profile

Elgin County, located in South Western Ontario, is composed of six Municipalities and Townships, and one city. From west to east they are: West Elgin, Dutton/Dunwich, Southwold, Central Elgin, Malahide, Aylmer, and Bayham. St. Thomas is situated in Central Elgin, but is a politically separate entity of the County. Lake Erie forms the 120 km Southern Boarder of Elgin County.

Source: Relish Elgin The 1880 km2 of Elgin County is populated with Rural settlements are a density of 26.7 persons/km2. St. Thomas, which is considered a rural city, has a population density of 1067 people/km2. Rural communities are defined as areas with a population concentration of at least 1000 persons with a density of 400 people/km2. Based on this definition, it is clear that St. Thomas is a city surrounded by rural communities. PoPulation and density in elgin county Elgin without Elgin St. Thomas Bayham Malahide Aylmer Elgin Central St. Thomas Southwold Dutton/ Dunwich Elgin West

87,461 49,556 6,989 9,146 7,151 12,293 37,905 4,494 3,876 5,157 Population

46.5 26.7 28.5 23.2 6.22 45.5 1067.3 14.9 13.2 16 Density

Source: Statistics Canada 2011 Census As any population, the population of Elgin County varies. In order to better understand the needs of the communities in the County, base statistics like population, labour force, family, education and income statistics will be used. 8 elgin county and st. thomas community Profile

Population As reported in the 2011 Census, Elgin County has a population of 49,556 people distributed across the 6 Municipalities and Townships. The City of St. Thomas alone reported a population of 37,905. The large concentration of people in St. Thomas has centralized many of the services that are offered across the County in St. Thomas. Between the 2006 and 2011 Census periods the population in Elgin County and St. Thomas grew by 2.5%. However the largest increase was seen in St. Thomas with the city growing elgin county 5.0% and the County growth at 0.6%. The slower growth in Elgin County can be mainly attributed to a shrinking population in the 20 to 40 year olds, causing a decreasing workforce. In St. Thomas there is a similar decrease in workforce, however this is offset with a greater increase in children, and individuals over the retirement ages. Considering the age pyramid, there are some ages that need to have their population levels addressed. Specifically, there is a need to address the decrease in the labour force; the need is demonstrated by comparing the population distribution of 2006 and 2011. In 2006 the population in the ages of 20 and 45 are at low levels. Ideally this gap in the age pyramid should progress up the age pyramid Source: Statistics Canada 2006/2011 Census as the population ages, however in 2011 the gap widened, spanning from the ages of 20 and 50. This means that the population between the ages of 20 to 25 have left the community, and the population between 45 and 50 did not return. If the trend of youth exodus continues, by the census in 2016 there will be an age gap from 20 to 55, while the working ages are traditionally between the ages of 15 and 65, the workforce in the community is shrinking. With the ageing population, a decrease in labour force translates to a decrease in services for the elderly, potentially resulting in the older populations moving as well. The median age of the population of Elgin County and St. Thomas in 2011 was 40.9 years, for women it is slightly higher at 41.8 years. The oldest population is in West Elgin with a median age of 46.5 and the youngest is in Malahide with a median age of 34.1. The median age of the population is a quick way to identify the composition of a population and helps identify the types of services required. The gender composition of the County differs from the City. The County is almost balanced with men and women with 49.9% females in the population. St. Thomas on the other hand has 51.9% women. When considering gender statistics for the City it is important to understand that female statistics affect a larger proportion of the population than the male statistics.

9 elgin county and st. thomas community Profile

Labour Market Industry

industry in elgin and st. thomas, 2006 Agriculture Agriculture and other based resource industries Manufacturing and construction Wholesale and trade retail and Finance real estate and care Health education Business services Other services St. Thomas Male 0% 24% 7% 1% 1% 10% 6% St. Thomas Female 0% 8% 7% 2% 3% 6% 11% Elgin Male 8% 21% 7% 1% 4% 9% 7% Elgin Female 4% 6% 7% 2% 19% 6% 8%

Source: Statistics Canada 2006 Census

10 elgin county and st. thomas community Profile

Occupations

occuPations in elgin and st. thomas, 2006 Management occupations Management and finance Business, occupations administration and applied sciences Natural occupations and related occupations Health in social science; Occupations governemnt education; and religion service in art; culture; Occupations and sports recreation occupations Sales and service and transport Trades; and operators equipment occupations related unique to Occupations primary industry unique to Occupations manufacturing procession; and utilities St. T. Male 4% 5% 3% 1% 2% 0% 9% 15% 1% 13% St. T. Female 2% 10% 1% 6% 5% 1% 15% 1% 1% 6% Elgin Male 4% 3% 2% 1% 2% 0% 6% 20% 8% 9% Elgin Female 3% 10% 1% 5% 4% 1% 12% 2% 3% 4%

Source: Statistics Canada 2006 Census The types of jobs available will help establish types of schooling that is pursued. The job environment will also directly relate to wages, work availability, and gender biases. While there are many small businesses in the County, in 2012, the Elgin-St. Thomas Labour Force Strategy identified the main target Labour Market sectors for Economic Development:

Elgin St. Thomas Energy and Environment Green Collar Economy Agriculture and Agribusiness New Food Economy Manufacturing Automotive Creative Economy Advanced Manufacturing Tourism Entrepreneurship and Business Diversification

Source: Elgin-St. Thomas Labour Force Strategy, 2012 11 elgin county and st. thomas community Profile

There are parallels between the County and the City, green initiatives are a focus, along with Agricultural endeavours and Manufacturing. However St. Thomas hopes to focus on expanding more into Manufacturing and increasing and diversifying small businesses while Elgin County hopes to expand more in tourism and creative endeavours. Understanding the Economic strategy of a region will help individuals who would like to pursue education, as it will help indicate where there is likely to be job growth. When considering Labour Market information it is important to look at three specific statistics: participation, employment and unemployment. The three statistics combined will indicate the picture of the complete workforce. Labour Force Participation Labour force statistics are calculated using the population over the age of 14, in the case of participation, or the inverse of not in the labour force, the population over the age of 14 who are actively seeking work, or working are included. Someone would not be in the labour force if they are unemployed, retired, or otherwise not looking for employment. Across Elgin County in 2006 Females were less likely to be working; the largest gender difference is seen in Malahide where 22% more females are not active in the labour force.

Percent not in laBour force El./ St . T. Bay Mal Ayl C.E. St . T. SW DD W.E. Ont. Can. % Male 25.14% 26.01% 17.44% 29.42% 21.37% 28.22% 18.30% 23.18% 27.69% 27.55% 27.67% % Female 38.91% 44.87% 39.43% 45.59% 33.14% 39.14% 26.48% 33.56% 46.95% 37.93% 38.41%

Source: Statistics Canada 2006 Census

12 elgin county and st. thomas community Profile

Employment Rate The employment rate shows the number of individuals over the age of 14 who are employed. Considering the high percent of females not in the labour force there are also small percents of females employed. The east of the County (Bayham and Malahide), as well as West Elgin, have 20% differences between male and female rates of employment. In Bayham and West Elgin only half of the females in the population are employed.

emPloyment rate El./ St . T. Bay Mal Ayl C.E. St . T. SW DD W.E. Ont. Can. Employment Rate % Male 71.15% 70.33% 80.45% 66.73% 74.76% 67.39% 79.64% 74.05% 69.34% 68.08% 67.61% % Female 57.53% 49.90% 56.12% 51.19% 63.29% 56.90% 71.27% 64.09% 50.56% 57.82% 57.53%

Source: Statistics Canada 2006 Census

Percent Unemployed

Percent unemPloyed El./ St . T. Bay Mal Ayl C.E. St . T. SW DD W.E. Ont. Can. Percent Unemployed % Male 3.69% 3.85% 2.11% 3.85% 3.87% 4.39% 1.80% 2.77% 3.20% 4.38% 4.72% % Female 3.73% 5.43% 4.61% 3.22% 3.37% 3.96% 2.25% 2.68% 2.26% 4.25% 4.06%

Source: Statistics Canada 2006 Census

13 elgin county and st. thomas community Profile

The percent of the population that is unemployed is not the same as an unemployment rate. Unemploy- ment rates report the number of people who are actively in the labour force in the population and are not employed, while percent unemployed reports the percent of individuals over the age of 15 who are unemployed. Because the percent unemployed includes students, retirees and people who have opted not to work, the number will also appear to be lower than the unemployment rate. The percent unemployed “If I lost my job, everything is higher for females only in Bayham and Malahide. This means would collapse.” that in these communities there are more females who want a job, but cannot find one. This discrepancy may be caused by the types of work that are available, gender bias in hiring, and cultural barriers, among many other barriers examined in this report. Unpaid Labour While Labour statistics consider activity in paid labour, unpaid labour is a large factor of life. Activities like housework, child care and elderly care are all considered unpaid labour. Unpaid labour is not regulated, this means that the statistics are self reported and are subject to personal opinion. From the 2006 Census 4 in 11 (36%) men and 3 in 7 (42.5%) women report unpaid work in child care in Elgin County. Unpaid work in elderly care in Elgin County is reported as 1 in 6 (17%) men and 2 in 9 (22%) women. The need for unpaid work will increase as there is an increase of elderly in the population. Dependency ratio is the number of dependents, children 14 years and younger, and seniors, over 65, to the population between the ages of 15 and 65. As the number increases, the active population has more people dependent on it, creating more need. In current population growth there has been a larger increase in the elderly population and a shrinking of the youth. It is more likely that childcare will be the responsibility of the parents while elderly care often becomes the responsibility of the elderly person themselves. This reality indicates a greater need for elderly care facilities in place of families caring for their elderly. What is unique to the current productive population is the dependency of children and elderly, a generation known as the sandwich generation (The daily, Sept 28, 2004 (http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily- quotidien/040928/dq040928b-eng.htm)).Although in the past there was a period of time where this would happen, there is an increase in dependency from the elderly generations as life expectancy is increasing and retirement ages are staying stagnant.

14 elgin county and st. thomas community Profile

Income While employment numbers indicate how many in a population have a job there is no indication of the hours that are worked or the wage that is paid. These two factors combined are demonstrated by income. It is also important to note that the income figures do not only represent individuals who are employed, but also individuals who receive social assistance from the government.

income ranges across elgin county - 2006 Less than Less $10,000 $10,000 $19,000 to $20,000 $29,999 to $30,000 $39,999 to $40,000 $49,999 to $50,000 $59,999 to $60,000 $79,999 to $80,000 and over — Canada 17.73% 15.43% 14.32% 13.94% 11.05% 7.94% 10.34% 9.24% — Ontario 17.24% 13.64% 12.69% 13.47% 11.57% 8.53% 11.65% 11.20% — Elgin 19.64% 13.57% 12.92% 11.91% 10.46% 11.43% 12.39% 7.65% — Bayham 34.00% 19.67% 16.33% 8.33% 7.00% 6.00% 5.67% 3.00% — Malahide 27.53% 19.03% 18.22% 10.12% 6.48% 6.38% 4.05% 6.88% — Aylmer 24.83% 16.31% 18.95% 12.69% 10.71% 4.28% 6.59% 5.77% — Central Elgin 24.17% 14.83% 13.00% 10.00% 9.17% 9.50% 12.67% 6.67% — St. Thomas 16.60% 13.12% 11.86% 12.66% 11.28% 10.84% 14.64% 8.96% — Southwold 11.07% 8.89% 4.51% 7.82% 12.07% 29.44% 17.24% 7.90% — Dutton-Dunwich 40.24% 13.41% 18.29% 17.68% 1.22% 3.05% 1.83% 2.44% — West Elgin 20.84% 11.78% 21.64% 16.44% 10.41% 6.03% 4.93% 4.66%

15 Source: Statistics Canada 2006 Census elgin county and st. thomas community Profile

When considering the income distribution across Elgin County it is important to note the large percent of the population that in making under $10,000 in municipalities of Dutton/Dunwich, Bayham, and Malahide. These populations have employment, but they are not earning an income that can sustain them - the working poor. The income distribution in Elgin County when considered by gender shows the gender bias in employ- ment opportunities, hours worked, and wages. Females in Elgin County are more likely to be making the income below the $40,000 and less likely to me making incomes above $40,000 with 8% differences from their male counterparts at the low range of below $10,000 and at the high range of over $80,000. This shows the distribution is exacerbated in some of the more rural communities with the female biases more pronounced.

Percent PoPulation By gender in income ranges elgin county 2006 Less than Less $10,000 $10,000 $19,000 to $20,000 $29,999 to $30,000 $39,999 to $40,000 $49,999 to $50,000 $59,999 to $60,000 $79,999 to $80,000 and over — Male 15.09% 9.65% 8.93% 9.73% 11.27% 14.78% 15.81% 11.11% — Female 23.56% 17.20% 16.74% 13.54% 8.42% 6.07% 6.85% 2.51% — Total 18.80% 12.99% 12.37% 11.41% 10.01% 10.95% 11.87% 7.33%

Source: Statistics Canada 2006 Census

16 elgin county and st. thomas community Profile

The poverty line is used around the world to indicate the minimum level of income needed to stay above poverty. The level of income is adjusted to family size. Unfortunately the information from the Census does not indicate the family sizes, or where along the range of income people lie. Looking at the income for St. Thomas, 30% of the population makes under $20,000, there is the potential for this to be only one income of a dual income house, but it should be considered that if the family unit does not stay together, a minimum of 30% of the population is at risk of living below the poverty line. In cases of domestic abuse, women often stay in the relationship in order to avoid falling below the poverty line and not being able to financially care for herself, or her dependents.

Before Tax Low-Income Cut-off, 2006 Family Size Numbers for St. Thomas Numbers for Elgin County 1 $18,147 $14,596 2 $22,591 $18,170 3 $27,773 $22,338 4 $33,721 $27,122 5 $38,245 $30,760 6 $43,135 $34,694 7 + $48,024 $38,626

Canadian Council on Social Development

Household and Family Characteristics A typical population has a mix of individuals with varying marital status. When considering families, only individuals who are married or considered common-law, with or without children are included and single parent dwellings. There are 25,300 families in Elgin County and of which 10,975 families live in St. Thomas in 2011. Furthermore, 13.8% of the families that live in Elgin are lone-parent families. Of these lone parent families, 78% of them are female run households, making females more responsible for dependants than the males. The families in Elgin County have an average of 1.1 children below the age of 18; this figure is made to look low because 42% of the families have no children. In order to have population growth, there needs to be more than 2 children per female, Elgin County is far below this rate. The average number of persons in a lone parent family is 2.5. This is better demonstrated as on average in 10 single parent households there will be 15 children. On the other hand, the average number of persons in a married couple family is 3.1 (2.8 for common law couples), which means in 10 two parent household there will be 11 children and in 10 common law households there will be 8 children. This means that lone parent families typically have more children to care for on a lower income.

17 elgin county and st. thomas community Profile

Education Education levels help identify the types of industry that can thrive in a community. In 2006, 60% of the population over the age of 15 in Elgin County had a high school diploma or less. It is important to note that the statistic includes high school students, inflating the numbers of individuals who have no formal educa- tion. Regardless of the inclusion of individuals still in school, there is a high proportion of the population without any formal education. The adjusted distribution of education when removing the population of County residents between the ages of 14 and 17 can be seen. The percent of No formal education shifts from 27.88% in females to 23.53% and from 31.74% to 27.24% in males.

education - elgin county and st. thomas 2006 No formal formal No education school High Apprenticeship or trades College or certificate diploma University below bachelor level Bachelor’s degree University above bachelor level Medicine Master’s degree Doctorate — Male 31.74% 28.12% 13.06% 16.99% 1.83% 4.77% 1.35% 0.33% 1.48% 0.29% — Female 27.88% 29.09% 7.13% 24.06% 2.67% 6.16% 1.90% 0.07% 0.86% 0.13%

Source: Statistics Canada 2006 Census

For the population that pursued post-secondary school, Apprenticeship and College are more favourable than University. This means that there will be a large pool of skilled labour in specific sectors, in lieu of across multiple sectors.

18 elgin county and st. thomas community Profile

education - elgin county and st. thomas 2006 - adjusted No formal formal No education school High Apprenticeship or trades College or certificate diploma University below bachelor level Bachelor’s degree University above bachelor level Medicine Master’s degree Doctorate — Male 31.74% 28.12% 13.06% 16.99% 1.83% 4.77% 1.35% 0.33% 1.48% 0.29% — Female 27.88% 29.09% 7.13% 24.06% 2.67% 6.16% 1.90% 0.07% 0.86% 0.13%

Source: Statistics Canada 2006 Census

AylmerAylmer fFemalesemales 2006 2006 M al Centr ah Ba Centralal SouthwoldSouthwold id yh ElginElgin Malahide Bayham Dutton/Dutton/ e a % No Formal Education W DunwichDunwich m est 20.0 WestEl Elgin St.St. ThomasThomas gi 24.6 n 29.2

33.8

AylmerAylmer 38.3 malesMales 2006 42.9 M 47.5 al Centr Ba ah Centralal yh SouthwoldSouthwold id ElginElgin MalahideBayhama Dutton/ e m W Dunwich est WestEl Elgin St.St. Thomas Thomas gi n

Source: Statistics Canada 2006 Census

19 elgin county and st. thomas community Profile

Health Many measures of health are biased because they are collected based on what is perceived, or based on whether attention is sought for help. Based on the 2010 Health Report, 67% of males and 61% of females report perceived health to be ‘very good’ or’ excellent’. Also, 82.7 of 100,000 of males and 66.3 of 100,000 of female’s die of treatable causes. Considering these two statistics, females are more likely to acknowledge their health concerns and have them treated, while males perceive themselves to be healthy and do not seek the attention they need. In terms of mental heath the figures switch with 81.8% of males and 82.3% of females reporting perceived Mental Health to be very good or excellent compared to 92 of 100,000 males and 105 of 100,000 females who report hospitalization for Mental Health. In cases of mental health females perceive that they are healthier, but need to receive treatment in more cases. Stigmas of mental health need to be addressed to ensure that people are receiving the treatment they need. Stress may be a factor affecting mental health with women more affected; 12.8% of males and 17.4% of females report perceived life stress. Health indicators are difficult to measure, and the factors that contribute to them are very complicated. It is important to weigh the true health qualifiers of a region and the perceived and reported ones.

20 elgin county and st. thomas community Profile

Housing When considering housing and housing standards in a region, the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) allocates acceptable housing standards. Acceptable housing is defined as housing that is adequate in condition and does not require major repairs, suitable in size for the occupants and affordable. Housing that does not meet at least one of these standards is not considered acceptable. Adequate Conditions

housing conditions

Source: Statistics Canada 2006 Census

Housing that requires major repairs inhibits the livelihood of the occupants. Adequate housing is based on the resident’s opinion of need for major repairs. The housing repairs in Elgin County is similar to the average in Canada, however it should be mentioned that West Elgin has over 2% more houses that require major repairs, and Malahide is reporting 2.5% lower than the Canadian average. Suitable Size Suitable housing has enough bedrooms for the size and make-up of resident households, according to National Oc- cupancy Standard (NOS) requirements. Enough bedrooms based on NOS requirements means one bedroom for each cohabiting adult couple; unattached household member 18 years of age and over; same-sex pair of children under age 18; and additional boy or girl in the family, unless there are two opposite sex children under 5 years of age, in which case they are expected to share a bedroom. A household of one individual can occupy a bachelor unit (i.e. a unit with no bedroom). In general Elgin County is reporting that there are no occupancy issues, apart from ten instances each in which four people are living in a one bedroom dwelling, and three people are living in a one room dwelling.

21 elgin county and st. thomas community Profile

Housing Affordability

Percent housing over 30% income

Source: Statistics Canada 2006 Census

In general the housing across Elgin County can be considered affordable with 78% of the population living in dwellings that cost less than 30% of their before taxable income. West Elgin is the only municipality that has higher prevalence of housing above the 30% income level; however, this figure is still below the Canadian average. It would be ideal for all housing to fall into the affordable housing level by diversifying the available housing in the region to help accommodate residents across the economic scale. Along with understanding the amount of income St. Thomas and Elgin County residents are spending on housing it is important to understand the distribution of property costs. In The County in general average residential prices were $208,076. And tax rates varied across the County. Aylmer has the highest rate of 2.29% and Southwold has the lowest rate 1.13%. These rates are important to consider affordability of a home. When finding a place to live, there is the decision to make of renting or owning. Owning a home creates an asset, while renting a home can be more affordable and more flexible; it is easier to give 2 months notice on a rental unit than to sell a house. In St. Thomas 32% of dwellings are rented, in Elgin County there are only 17% rented. This means that more people in the County have assets, but also, there are fewer options in finding a rental property.

Residential Tax Rates 2011 Bayham Aylmer Malahide St. Thomas Elgin Central Southwold Dutton Elgin West 1.45% 2.29% 1.54% 1.51% 1.62% 1.13% 2.08% 1.46%

Elgin County Economic Development, City of St. Thomas

22 research method - the research Process

Gathering Information The success of the Pathways to Prosperity research plan is focused on community engagement and input. The information gathering process from the Elgin County community is fourfold: engage women through community consultations, survey community based service providers and survey St. Thomas-Elgin residents (men and women). This research method allowed for a personal and concise description of women’s economic security in Elgin County. Research of existing programs, projects and initiatives in the County and St. Thomas was conducted. This information gathering helped inform the report in specific needs of the County and City. Surveys With feedback and input from the Pathways to Prosperity Advisory Council two surveys were created to gather local, current information: a service provider survey and a resident survey. Two versions of the resident survey were created. A longer version for online use and a more concise paper version. Stakeholder surveys were distributed through community networks to a number of Elgin-St. Thomas com- munity based service providers: organizations and agencies that provide direct services to women. Both surveys were available in print and online through the Pathways to Prosperity website. The condensed resident survey was incorporated into the case load of Ontario Works, Mennonite Community Services and Employment Services Elgin counsellors. Online surveys were promoted through Facebook and at each library in St. Thomas and Elgin as well at other public computer venues such as: YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin, Aylmer Community Services, Employment Services Elgin and West Elgin Support Services. Surveys were completed verbally and in person with visits to a variety of events and venues. Over 600 surveys were completed by local residents and 39 surveys were completed by community based service providers. Community Engagement & Consultations eleven closed group community consultations were held including: Ontario Early Years Centre St. Thomas & Aylmer, YWCA Women’s Residence, Youth Engagement Participants, Second Stage Housing, FESPA, Literacy Basic Skills Class, Algoma College, Fanshawe College, Focus Fairview Community Centre, Settlement Services. Closed groups were held to create a safe and trusting environment where women could feel comfortable discussing concerns, issues, barriers, success and opportunities. Community consultations were strategically chosen to represent vulnerable women of varying ages and the geographic diversity of the area. During these community consultations condensed paper surveys were completed by all the women in attendance. A key piece to this work was the community input through facilitated open discussions. Translation services were available for Low German speaking women. The community consultations provided vast information on the opportunities and challenges that impact women’s economic security in Elgin County. An overview of the community consultation findings can be found in the appendix. This research approach ensured that community planning is as responsive and comprehensive as possible.

23 research method - the research Process

Survey Participants Service Providers had a separate survey from the residents of St. Thomas and Elgin County. The service provider survey had 39 participants from a variety of backgrounds:

Stakeholder Survey Participants Service Area Participants Faith Based 3% Child Care 5% Education 3% Government 5% Healthcare 28% Legal Support 3% Settlement Services 10% Social Support 44% Ultimately, the survey for residents of St. Thomas and Elgin County had 680 participants. Although this survey did not collect the opinion of 2% of the population, the information will be used to supplement the statistics from the census. The characteristics of the participants will be defined by the gender, age, area of residence, income, marital status, and education. Gender The majority of the survey participants, 85%, were female. This will provide valuable information on the needs and barriers of women, but will be difficult to contrast with the male experience. In some cases the comparison of male and female opinions will not be presented. Age This survey was only available to individuals over the age of 18. When comparing the survey population age ranges to the age ranges of the population there is a definite bias towards females under the age of 45. However, this does capture the needs of the women who are starting families, and are new to enter the labour force, as opposed to the women who are exiting the labour force. The opinions of the younger females will be more congruent with the opinions of the young females under the age of 18 as well.

resPonses age as Percent of total

Source: Pathways to Prosperity Residents Survey 2012

24 research method - the research Process

Area of Residence Contrasting the area of residents to the actual population, there is a slight over emphasis on St. Thomas; however, there is a comparable distribution among the responses from across the County.

geograPhic distriBution

Source: Pathways to Prosperity Residents Survey 2012

Income Compared to the population of Elgin County there are almost double the respondents in the income bracket less than $10,000. The population that is in this income bracket is more likely to be facing barriers to economic security; it is favourable to be collecting more responses from this population for the nature of the study.

Personal income of resPondents

Source: Pathways to Prosperity Residents Survey 2012

25 research method - the research Process

Marital Status The marital status of the respondent is fairly aligned with the marital status across the County; however there is a slight bias on the Single individuals. These individuals may be single parents, and are typically single income earners – resulting in a barrier to economic security.

marital status - survey

Source: Pathways to Prosperity Residents Survey 2012 Education The educational attainment of the survey participants indicates fewer individuals who have elementary school as their highest level of schooling. While this group have the largest barriers to economic security, consideration for the age restriction of the survey will skew the numbers, education rates are calculated for individuals over the age of 14 while the survey was restricted to individuals over the age of 18.

education

Source: Pathways to Prosperity Residents Survey 2012

26 Building a foundation emerging areas of need for elgin

AWARENESSADVOCACY

Violence Women Wage Against Community Equity Women

Service Stakeholders Gender Living Providers Equality Wages

COORDINATION

Awareness of Services Education Workforce Development Social Supports Transportation

Employment Skill & Income Development

Food Security Newcomers to Canada Dependant Care (child/ Health elderly) Housing Poverty

The surveys and consultations used in the research of women’s economic security were analysed to help identify the emerging areas of need for Elgin. While the research was conducted focusing on traditional service areas, the need for a coordinated approach became clear with the inter-connection of the barriers that are affecting the Economic Security of Women. The emerging areas of need for Elgin are depicted in the lower graphic under coordination. Key to a coordinated community plan are awareness and advocacy.

27 Building a foundation emerging areas of need for elgin

AWARENESSAwareness of Services There are two parties to consider with awareness of services: the community Women member and the service provider. Community The survey illustrated some inconsistencies with need and access to services. Service Stakeholders Providers There are times when there is a need to use a service, but it is not accessed. For instance: • 71% of people who said debt load is a barrier have never used a debt councillor. • 70% of people who earn under $30,000 in household income have never used subsidized housing or rent geared to income. Although the survey did not explore reasons for not accessing the service reasons may include, not knowing about the service, misconceptions about the service may exist, or the person in need of the service may have to overcome stigmas to access it. When asked what services were useful, over 80% of the respondents suggested that information from staff and referrals to other agencies “Often I have no idea services were considered important or very important. It is important that once someone with needs has accessed one service, they have the and programs exist.” support and information to access all services that will meet their needs. While the need is apparent, modification to the referral and information dissemination does not appear to be changing, this is in part because service providers do not perceive that there is a need to improve the current system. From service providers that responded to the survey 60% felt that their clients had the information that they required to be aware of services and resources in the community.

ADVOCACY Discrimination and Violence

Violence Females have been battling gender roles for many years now. Even with the Wage Against Women progress that has been achieved, discrimination and violence continues. While Equity there are difficulties in calculating true rates of abuse and discrimination, 6% of women who responded to the survey indicated violence as a barrier. The Gender Living Equality Wages physical and psychological effects of discrimination have grave consequences on the potential of females in life and in the workforce. Education has a large potential to curb the effects of discrimination in the workforce, there needs to be a move towards advocating for female equality in job hiring, promotions, wage disparity, and school applications. Education also has a role to play to help address the methods of detection and ways communities can help women who are experiencing violence. The supports required to help women who are experiencing violence need to include detection, intervention, and supports. Violence was not considered a barrier by 5% of the service provider respondents, however 74% felt it was a larger barrier to women. The effects of violence on individuals should be a priority of the community at large, and not just agencies who have a focus on violence against women.

28 Building a foundation emerging areas of need for elgin

Dependent Care

COORDINATION In a life time there are two stages of dependency, from birth through childhood, and in old age. In most cases children will fall under the care of their parents, at Awareness this time they are completely dependent for their economic and emotional needs. of Services Workforce Education Development Social While the economic burden of caring for a child will often be shared by parents, Supports modern family units can change this traditional arrangement and can now have Transportation either one caregiver or four care givers, and occasionally additional supports from Employment the extended family. The income and time capabilities of the caregivers often will Skill & Income Development vary greatly with each family unit and each arrangement. The survey indicated Food Security that 11% of respondents experienced barriers to their economic security related Newcomers to Canada to dependent child care. This may in part be connected with the cost of childcare, food, school activities, clothes, extracurricular, trips, or other needs that the children Health Dependant Care (child/ may have. Moreover, single parenting was a barrier for 19%, meaning 19% of the elderly) Poverty Housing respondents were the sole caregiver to their children. Access to childcare can help relieve the time constraints and allow for more flexible work schedules, this was a barrier for 10% of the women. This means that childcare options are too expensive, too far, or unreliable. In cases of families with young children, time demands are a large barrier to economic security. The Canadian government introduced the Canadian Pension Plan (CPP) in order to help support Canadian workers and their spouse in their old age. The CPP was established at a time where the workforce was much larger than the dependents, since then life expectancy has increased and there is a larger demand for accessing the funds, resulting in the CPP only providing a bare minimum in support to the elderly. As age increases so does health needs and many elderly turn to their children to help support them. This sometimes means that parents will move in with their children adding more expenses to the family and puts a strain on time. The demand placed on the adult children will at times deplete their available resources, and can take them out of the workforce if care is needed. The survey indicated that 7% of female respondents consider elderly dependents a barrier to economic security. The survey also identified 13% of females are currently caregivers to elderly of which 33% indicated that they were the only care giver. Being the only care giver places all of the needs onto one person and amplifies the economic and time needs to provide the care needed. The time after a leave for dependent care is also very critical. It is possible that it will be more difficult to reintegrate into the workforce if leave is taken from an industry that does not have benefits, or in the case of work shortages, individuals returning from a leave can lose seniority and be at risk of lay-offs. The precarious nature of the returning to a viable job after a leave places more stress on people considering taking a dependent care leave. The service providers indicated that 63% of their clients access child care and 19% access elderly care. However, service providers indicated that at 75% child care affects females more (17% indicated it affects both males and females, and 8% indicated it was not a barrier). Furthermore, 79% of service providers indicated that dependent care of elderly and children affect women more than men (14% indicated it affects both, 7% indicated it was not a barrier). It is clear that service providers understand the restrictions of dependent care on females.

29 Building a foundation emerging areas of need for elgin

Education COORDINATION Education is an increasingly important fac- tor in economic security; jobs that once only Education Awareness required a high school education are now of Services looking for more qualifications. This reality Workforce Development makes it more complicated for individuals Social who are affected by layoffs searching for Supports Transportation work. In this case, individuals of all ages are finding themselves out of work, and under Employment qualified for the jobs that are available. Skill & Income Development For people who find themselves in this

Food Security situation, there are several alternatives Newcomers to obtaining the high school qualifications to Canada required. Options include: Adult Educa- Dependant Care (child/ tion, Alternative education, and General Health elderly) Education Development (GED). Housing Poverty As indicated in the survey participants sec- tion, 25% of the respondents have a high school degree or less. This qualification will directly restrict the potential jobs available. Education was a barrier for 27% of the survey participants, specifically: • Level of education affects 22%of the participants • Location was a barrier for 17% of the participants • Cost was a barrier to 39% of the participants • Access to childcare was a barrier to 8% of the participant In cases of location for post -secondary school, if individuals do not have access to transportation, or they need to move to another city, the costs can get increasingly high. If there are options for post-secondary education in the city they live, or access on the internet, then some of the barrier to location can be removed. Post-Secondary school is only partially subsidised by the Canadian government and is cost restrictive. Some students can have access to loans to help with the financial burdens. The average debt of a Canadian Post-Secondary graduate in 2009 was $26,670 (http://www.ccl-cca.ca/ccl/Reports/PostSecondaryEducation/ PSEHome/PSEChallengesMonograph3.html), a figure which means that graduates can take longer to start accruing assets. Finally, in cases of young families there are limited options for childcare at Post-Secondary schools. The added expense often exacerbates the costs of tuition and further restricts the access to post-secondary education. Considering the relationship between education and income, some important trends are shown. First, 93% in Elgin County and 90% in St. Thomas of people who have only an elementary school education make under $30,000 which shows a similar figure. However, when considering individuals with a high school education, they fair better in Elgin County with 68% making under $30, 00 and 28% making between $30,000 and $69,000 compared to St. Thomas where the figures are 89% and 10%. This trend duplicated in the income of trades and apprenticeships with figures in Elgin of: 33% making under $30,000 and 67% between $30,000 and $69,000, in St. Thomas the figures are 83% and 17%. It is important to note that University graduates have the highest percent earning over $70,000 with 23% in Elgin County and 27% in St Thomas.

30 Building a foundation emerging areas of need for elgin

Income based on Education Attainment Elgin County St. Thomas Under $30,000 Over Under $30,000 Over $30,000 -69,000 $70,000 $30,000 -69,000 $70,000 Elementary 93% 7% 0% 90% 10% 0% School High School 68% 28% 4% 89% 10% 1% College 54% 45% 1% 62% 37% 1% University 32% 45% 23% 27% 45% 27% Trades/ 33% 67% 0% 83% 17% 0% Apprenticeship

Statistics Canada 2006 Census When service providers were asked about the barriers of education 67% responded that education affects men and women equally, specifically in areas of cost. Childcare disproportionately affects women in educa- tion at 86%, while the majority of respondents indicated location and level of education affect both equally, there are some responses that indicate women are affected more (33% for location, and 15% for cost).

Employment & Income

COORDINATION Employment is at the crux of economic security. When discussing concerns related to unemployment there are several areas to Awareness of Services consider: income, benefits, and appropriateness. Education Workforce Development From the survey, unemployment was considered a barrier by Social Supports 27% of the respondents. Transportation Employment Income is a factor of two variables, hours of work and wage. Part & Income Skill time and occasional work give more flexibility in availability, but Development often the hours of work are decreased and vary week to week. Food Security Newcomers Minimum wage as mandated by the provincial government gives to Canada the minimum pay that someone can earn, in Ontario the rate Dependant Care (child/ is $10.25 (https://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/pubs/guide/ Health elderly) minwage.php). Employment in this income bracket often falls Housing Poverty in the part time category. This means that workers are paid the minimum legal amount at reduced hours. The survey indicated that: • Reliable income was a barrier for 41% of the participants • Part time and contract work was a barrier for 10% • Survival jobs was a barrier for 8% Furthermore, when asked to indicate the largest barrier, half of the responses indicated that the increase in cost of living paired with income decreasing or staying the same was the most restrictive. The second largest challenge was identified to be stability in employment. Benefits are typically available only for full time work and offer the employee access to health coverage that exceeds the Ontario allotment specifically medication, dental, and optometry. This translates to people who are under-employed also having the added expenses that are covered with benefits and available to the population that has a full time job with benefits. Benefits are available to individuals who are on social

31 Building a foundation emerging areas of need for elgin assistance which greatly helps this population; however this may cause a barrier into employment. Often when transitioning back into a job benefits are not offered during the probationary period of the first month, and in many cases where the jobs are part time benefits is not an option. This means that someone receiving social assistance that is moving to a minimum wage job will see a small increase in their monthly income, but will lose their benefits which can in some cases greatly increase their expenses. Job appropriateness means people in jobs that match their skills, and considers their needs like flexibility of hours and transportation. Limited job variety was a barrier for 21% of the respondents and underemployment a barrier for 14% of the respondents. The occupations that are available in Elgin County and St. Thomas are jobs that are typically dominated by men. Manufacturing represents 30% of the industry in the County and trades, which account for 1/5th of the occupations in the County and St. Thomas, are dominated by men, which limit the jobs that are available to women. Diversifying the industry and occupations will help increase potential jobs for women. Elgin County and St. Thomas is an area that has Small and Medium Enterprises as an important economic engine. The Elgin Business Resource Centre is able to track the people who access their services and the number of businesses that are opened. In six months, 56% of their appointments were with women which included inquiry and in depth meetings, to help on the path to opening a small business. Furthermore, In 2012/2013 YTD, in Elgin County, 48 businesses were opened and 30 of these businesses were opened by women. Of these 30 businesses, 10 businesses were professional/consultant, 14 businesses were service/ sales, 2 were in the health care and social assistance industry and 4 were “other services” industry. Often females in Elgin County and St. Thomas are operating their own businesses. Employment was indicated as a barrier by 97% of the service providers. When considering more detailed barriers of employment: unemployment was the leading barrier at 100%, Underemployment 91%, Survival jobs 81%, Limited job variety 78%, and Part-time work 75%. Identifying the largest area of struggle for women can help identify areas that can be considered for improvement.

Food Security

COORDINATION Food Security has some 200 definitions, in the context of food security in the developed world pertaining to the Awareness consumer the dimensions that are most critical are: acces- of Services Education Workforce sibility and adequacy. Development Social Accessibility of food considers the types of food that are Supports Transportation available and the distance required to travel to obtain it.

Employment Adequacy of food regards the quality of the food that is avail- Skill & Income Development able and if it is meeting the health needs of the community.

Newcomers Food Security Survey results indicated that over 20% of females cannot to Canada meet basic needs in food for themselves or their dependents. Dependant Care (child/ Health elderly) The Elgin-St. Thomas Health Unit produced a report Mapping Housing Opportunities for Physical Activity and Healthy Eating in Poverty Elgin-St. Thomas. This report mapped the distance to ac- cessing food. It is ideal for access to food to be at a distance that does not require access to private transportation. Food Deserts are areas in which there is no access to healthy food for over 1 km. The map shows the prevalence of food deserts in St. Thomas in 8 communities which have been designated as areas of highest social distress. Two of these are areas with high needs of access to healthy food choices, with 0-1% of the people living there having access to a store.

32 Building a foundation emerging areas of need for elgin

Food Deserts Dense areas of high socioeconomic distress Across Elgin County in the and poor supermarket access rural communities, there is even less access to choices available with many commu- 0% nities having to travel great S Edgeware Road distances to the store. While the maps serve to show 22% an important picture in food Flora Street Flora

Burwell Road Burwell access, attributes such as food Talbot Street 100% 24% 78% 100% affordability, cultural appro- Households within

First Avenue 100% Walking Distance (1000m) priateness, or health needs of a Supermarket are not addressed in this map. 0% - 1% In some cases individuals may 2% - 25%

26% - 75% Elm Street work in a location that is close 76% - 100% 1% to a store and access them in those locations, individuals may not have access to fresh 0495 990 1980 produce, but rather a conve- Meters nience store which is stocked with non perishable options. Created by the Human Environments Analysis Laboratory Access to food is directly tied R09-033 into transportation issues, and job schedule constraints. Accessbility to Healthy Food Retailers When service providers were Distance to Nearest Three Produce Retailers asked how many of their cli- Elgin County 2009 ents could meet their needs in food 67% indicated that 50% or less of their clients were able to do so. This figure is larger than what residents indicated, however it is im- portant to note that accessing food and accessing healthy food is not the same, often individuals who do not access

Lake Erie appropriate food do not know that the food they obtain does in meters 0 5 10 20 not meet health needs. 0 - 1600 km 1601 - 3200 3201 - 10000 Created by the Human Environments Analysis Laboratory R09-025 10001 - 16346

“ [I] have used food banks. Choose to buy groceries over paying bills. Borrow money from family. Don’t buy things for myself, I make do so that my children can have what they need for school.”

33 Building a foundation emerging areas of need for elgin

Health The ability for someone to work is intrinsically linked with their COORDINATION health. Ontario offers basic healthcare to all residents, however some of the services that are more complex and additional Awareness of Services are not covered, specifically, medication, dental, optometry, Workforce Education Development and mental health. Furthermore, medical conditions may be Social restrictive in obtaining a job, although after a job has been Supports secured it is illegal to be discharged for medical reasons. Transportation

Employment Health was indicated as a dominant barrier to the survey par- & Income Skill ticipants. Health barriers were considered to be: Development Food Security • Personal Health and Wellness, 28% Newcomers to Canada • Mental Health, 19% Dependant Care (child/ elderly) • Access to Health care, 11% Housing Health Poverty • Physical Disability, 11% • Chronic Disease, 7% Health is intrinsically tied into employment. If disabilities are obtained while on the job there is the potential to receive income support. If injuries are obtained outside of work, there is a need to recover in order to not face discrimination. Mental health has become an increasingly important area to bring awareness to. If employers and the community can better understand mental health challenges discrimination against potential workers with this barrier can diminish. When service providers were asked about Healthcare, 63% indicated that it was a support needed for Economic Security. Personal health and wellness was the most important barrier to economic security, mental health was considered the barrier that had the smallest effect on economic security. It is important to note the discrepancy between the rank of health barriers as perceived by individuals, and as perceived by service providers.

34 Building a foundation emerging areas of need for elgin

Housing COORDINATION Housing is one of the most basic needs. In Canada the need for adequate housing is even more dominant, because of the cold winters. Awareness of Services The survey indicated that 11% of the respondents cannot meet their needs Workforce Education Development in shelter. Furthermore, access to housing was a barrier to 9% of the Social respondents. Supports Transportation Social Housing that can be accessed in the County and City is designated Employment for different mandates: seniors, families, adults and for a mix of the above Skill & Income as well as rent supplement units and units through the Affordable Housing Development Program (AHP). There are 1462 units designated as social housing in St. Food Security Thomas-Elgin at this time. Newcomers to Canada Dependant Care (child/ Health elderly)

Poverty

Housing

Social Housing Portfolio by Unit Type and Mandate Mandate Bachelor 1 Bdrm 2 Bdrm 3 Bdrm 4 Bdrm 5+ Bdrm Total # Total % Seniors 183 66 249 17.0 Families 52 189 373 82 19 715 48.9 Adults 38 38 2.6 Mix 18 268 2 288 19.7 Rent Supplement 28 5 15 3 51 3.5 Units Total # 46 546 272 376 82 19 1341 91.7 Total % 3.4 40.7 20.3 28.0 6.1 1.4 100 AHP Units 121 8.3 Total Social 1462 100.0 Housing Units

St. Thomas and Elgin County Study on Homelessness, 2009 When considering the geographic distribution of the mandated housing, St. Thomas has 65% of all of the allocated housing between St. Thomas and Elgin County; Aylmer has the second most with 18%.

Social Housing by Location Aylmer Elgin Central - Belmont Dutton/ Dunwich -Dutton - Bayham Burwell Port Central - Port Elgin Stanley - Elgin West Rodney St. Thomas - Elgin West Lorne West 244 20 55 55 30 34 892 41 18% 1% 4% 4% 2% 2% 65% 3%

35 St. Thomas and Elgin County Study on Homelessness, 2009 Building a foundation emerging areas of need for elgin

While there is social housing available across the County, there is also a waiting list for each type of unit across the County and in St. Thomas. Although there are 1462 units available in 2009, there is more than double that number needed to meet the demand of people who are on the waiting list with 1669 units requested. However, there is a chronic wait list with the housing authorities indicating a need to increase affordable housing options, as stated in awareness of services from the survey, 70% of people who make under $30,000 have never used subsidized housing or rent geared to income. It is important to find a way to capture the true need of subsidized housing in the community, not simply based on the wait lists that are provided, when wait lists become this large, people will often not submit their names because the potential for help is too far in the future to be considered.

Social Housing Wait List by Location and Mandate

Adult/ Seniors Family Mixed Total Seniors (65+) Geography

#%#%#%#% # % 747 94.8% 342 81.2% 0 0.0% 398 87.9% 1487 89.1% St. Thomas 41 5.2% 75 17.8% 0 0.0% 55 12.1% 171 10.2% Aylmer 0.0% 0.0% 2 28.6% 0.0% 2 0.1% Port Port Burwell 0.0% 0.0% 3 42.9% 0.0% 3 0.2% Dutton 0.0% 0.0% 2 28.6% 0.0% 2 0.1% Rodney 0.0% 4 1.0% 0.0% 0.0% 4 0.2% West West Lorne 788 100.0% 421 100.0% 7 100.0% 453 100.0% 1669 100.0% Total

St. Thomas and Elgin County Study on Homelessness, 2009

Service providers understand the importance of housing and 81% indicated that housing was a barrier to economic security. Since it is apparent to the service providers that this barrier exists it is important to provide information to individuals who are currently not accessing subsidized housing valuable information that can help support them.

36 Building a foundation emerging areas of need for elgin

Newcomers to Canada

COORDINATION New Canadians often face heightened barriers from the Canadian popula- tion. Where barriers exist for Canadians, immigrants often do not have a full Awareness of Services understanding of the services offered; depending on their Country of Origin Workforce Education Development the social programs offered can be very different, and often costly. This lack Social of understanding of the services often means newcomers will not access Supports supports and can struggle. In the context of employment, newcomers are Transportation susceptible to being mistreated if they do not understand labour laws or in Employment Skill & Income cases where they struggled to find a job. Development

Food Security Furthermore, in some cases people can be in the Country while waiting for their immigration applications to be accepted, most services have restrictions Newcomers to Canada Dependant on who can access them. Having a precarious status can further complicate the Care (child/ elderly) process of accessing social assistance and finding a job. Also, when newcomers Health are in Canada and are not fully aware of the immigration process, and their Housing Poverty rights as Canadians, there can be a misconception that accessing services will negatively affect their application, or their obtained status. Information surrounding eligibility to access services needs to be clarified to help support individuals without a full Canadian citizenship. Barriers and discrimination in finding employment also need to be addressed in Canada.

Poverty

COORDINATION Poverty is a culmination of many of the basic needs not being fulfilled, or being inadequately fulfilled. Basic needs like food, housing, and health can

Awareness all lead to poverty. of Services Education Workforce Development The low income poverty cut off gives a measurement to help indicate where Social populations are more likely to fall into poverty conditions. However, some Supports Transportation household situations and economic needs may move people into or out of poverty despite the poverty line. Employment Skill & Income Development Of the survey participants, poverty was indicated as a barrier by 43%. This

Food Security means that 43% of the population surveyed feel that they cannot meet their Newcomers basic needs. to Canada Dependant Care (child/ When comparing the self-declared poverty against the Low Income Cut-Off Health elderly) there are some differences. Based on the 2010 low income cut off rates, 46% Housing of the female respondents from St. Thomas are below the low income cut-off and 19% of the female respondents from Elgin County are below the low Poverty income cut-off rate. This is approximately 34.6% of all responses. This means that 9% of the population feel that they are in poverty, but not captured by the low income cut off. When service providers were asked if poverty was a barrier to economic security “You need to have more only 67% indicated it was. This may mean that service providers do not understand help out here there is the implications of poverty and chronic poverty. When poverty is not considered a factor in economic security there may be lacks of support to help individuals progress poverty everywhere you from an environment of poverty. look and it’s sad.”

37 Building a foundation emerging areas of need for elgin

Skill Development

COORDINATION Some skills are so rudimentary in the foundation for economic security there is a need to highlight them, skills such as literacy, Awareness life planning, financial literacy, and debt management. Missing of Services Education Workforce one of these skills will greatly hinder the possibility of achieving Development economic security. Social Supports Transportation Literacy is the skill of reading and writing, many jobs require both of these, and from the survey literacy was a barrier for 5% Employment Skill & Income of the respondents. Also, since the survey was administered Development online with only occasional access to support, people who

Food Security are not literate would not have participated. Newcomers to Canada In order to be motivated to increase efficiency in economic Dependant Care (child/ security there needs to be the ability to life plan. Life planning elderly) Health allows for realistic goals to be set and achieved. One big

Poverty Housing piece of goal setting is the idea of budgeting to be able to reach a goal. This can be a very difficult task to start without guidance and support. Life planning and budgeting was a barrier for 34%. Financial literacy and understanding money matters is a very important skill to help individuals attain their life planning goals. Understanding the value of money allows for budgeting and can lead to savings which helps promote stability. Understanding money matters and financial literacy, was a barrier for 16% of the respondents. Without this critical piece increases in income may not result in an increase in stability. Of the survey participants, 44% indicated that they could not save money. This was a difficulty for people across all income ranges and not just an isolated problem for low income earners. Often debt is accrued and a large majority of resources are used to pay interest instead of saving. Debt load was identified as a barrier for 54% of the respondents Although debt load was identified people who are not working are living off of savings. This can mean that debts are ignored and are increasing while individuals are unemployed. This cycle can make it more difficult for individuals to gain economic security and begin saving. In cases of skills development service providers indicated that these can be barriers to both men and women. Life planning and budgeting had a slight inclination to affect females more. Literacy however, was not considered a barrier 15% of the time. The areas of interest in skills development are more big picture ideas, small gains in these areas can have larger impacts, especially in the long run.

“I do not have the means to plan with my student debt load. This is a great worry for me as I struggle to maintain my monthly expenses with my high loan repayment terms.”

38 Building a foundation emerging areas of need for elgin

Social Supports COORDINATION In Canada there are opportunities for people without sufficient income or with disabilities to access social supports. These supports through the Awareness province provide basic income and are calculated based on family size, of Services Education dependents and caregivers and considers basic needs and shelter costs, Workforce Social Development Supports the allocations are standardized across Ontario. Social support, in Ontario known as Ontario Works is stipulated through approximately 800 rules and Transportation restrictions for qualification. One such stipulation is a limitation of assets.

Employment Families are able to have limited savings, but are able to own some basic Skill & Income needs like a shelter and a car, but not multiple cars. This stipulation puts Development restrictions on families that would like to have dual income earners, or who

Food Security budget the meager income to allow for some minimal savings. The base Newcomers for a single recipient is $606 a month, comprised of $230 for basic needs to Canada Dependant and $376 for shelter costs. Additional monies are available for people with Care (child/ special dietary needs, and new mothers. Furthermore, earning exemptions elderly) Health are placed on someone on the program. If an individual finds work while Housing Poverty in the program their monthly allowance is reduced by their income. For example if a single person receiving $606 a month from Ontario Works finds a job that pays $500 per month, the assistance is then reduced to $106. However, if the individual is working a job that pays $500 a month for a minimum of 3 months, and then gets social support, the social support is reduced by 50%. This means they will earn $500 plus $356 in support. This stipulation can act as a disincentive to find employment. “In the future I would like to be off Ontario Works and Currently in Elgin County and St. Thomas 1,714 families are receiving social assistance through Ontario Works. This is 3.4% of the population living in the area. The ratio able to provide for my own is higher in St. Thomas, this may be due to the fact that services are centralized in family.” the city and there are more affordable housing options there.

Ontario Works St. Thomas-Elgin Recipients - February 2013 Elgin and St. Thomas Elgin St. Thomas combined Number of Families 1239 475 1714 Number of Adults 1378 534 1912 Number of Dependent Adults 21 10 31 Children age 0-6 419 145 564 Children age 7-12 223 93 316 Children age 13-17 136 86 222 Total People on Assistance 2177 868 3045 Population on Social Assistance (%) 5.74 1.75 3.48

Ontario Works St. Thomas- Elgin

39 Building a foundation emerging areas of need for elgin

Transportation

COORDINATION Transportation continues to be a barrier in rural settings. Amenities are typically further apart, with no access to

Awareness public transportation. Often, access to an automobile of Services Education restricts the types of jobs that can be obtained. From the Workforce Development survey, 35% of females were not able to have access to Social reliable transportation compared to 17% of males. Mimicking Transportation Supports the public transportation that is seen in large cities is often not financially feasible in small rural communities. There Employment is a need to overcome this barrier through non-traditional Skill & Income Development solutions.

Food Security Transportation was not considered a barrier for 13% of the Newcomers service providers. This may be because the clients they to Canada Dependant serve live in St. Thomas and are on a bus line. Transportation Care (child/ is often considered an issue in rural communities and in elderly) Health areas that are not serviced with a bus route. Housing Poverty

Workforce Development Workforce development includes development in areas of education, employment and entrepreneurship. These areas should not be confused with what the individual accesses, but rather what is available. Education opportunities need to match the types of jobs that will become available; they also need to be diverse and desirable for women to pursue. Employment opportunities also need to be diversified, with consideration for emerging markets and other stimuli like creative class, and social enterprises. Finally, employment opportunities can be sustained through accessible supports to entrepreneurs. Currently workforce boards, labour boards, and employment resource centers do this work, but there is a need to advocate for the women’s perspective in all of these areas.

40 recommendations

The surveys and consultations used in the research of women’s economic security were analyzed to help identify the emerging areas of need in Elgin. While the research was conducted focusing on traditional service areas, the need for an integrated approach became clear with the inter-connection of the barriers that are affecting the economic security of women. While there are many ways to categorize and prioritize the emerging areas of need, it is recommended to consider the areas of:

AWARENESSADVOCACY • Coordination • Awareness • Advocacy Focusing on these three areas will allow for the formation of action groups that can look at local needs for the individual (coordination), needs of the service providers (awareness), and the larger systemic needs (advocacy).

COORDINATION

Coordination The intricacies of the needs required to help support women in achieving economic security can be obtained through wide spread community support. Often women will face challenges in achieving economic support, not because of deficiencies in one area, but because of several weaknesses in the areas of need identified previously. There is a need for support from many services simultaneously, not just individually. There is a need for services to find a way to support clients between different service providers, and not just focused on their area of support. While this ideal may not be achievable, coordination between agencies can be created to aide in this type of horizontal support.

Awareness While the needs of coordination address areas of need that are directly related to the individual, there is a need to address the role of local service providers in achieving success through a coordinated system. Collaborations do not just happen, they need to be built; an active approach needs to be taken between service providers. Awareness of services and coordination between services are two areas that have the potential to ensure individuals are able to obtain the supports they require while progressing to economic security. Awareness of services requires service providers to fully understand other support services available to foster appropriate referrals. Furthermore, there needs to be a vehicle to empower individuals with an understanding of the available services, so that progressing through the supports of service providers is not mandated, but a clear choice they have made to move towards economic security. This type of approach requires all service providers to be included in the process and work as a community.

Advocacy The areas of Coordination and Awareness address the local barriers to economic security; however there are systemic factors that have a crippling effect on achieving economic security for women specifically violence against women, wage disparity, gender bias within professions, and living wage. Ultimately, these areas need support from policy; however, there are local changes that can begin which will help enact systemic change.

41 Moving forward from research to planning and implementation, community engagement and local collaboration will be integral to success in improving women’s economic security in Elgin County and St. Thomas. A promising approach will require coordination, awareness and advocacy in order to address challenges, build on supports and foster opportunities that lead to pathways to prosperity for women.

42 aPPendices

43 Best Practices ...... pg 44 Pathways to Prosperity Community Engagement & Consultation Processes ...... pg 45 Project Awareness & Information Sharing, Outreach & Support ...... pg 47 Elgin-St. Thomas Stakeholder Survey ...... pg 48 Service Provider & Stakeholder Consultation: Supports, Needs, Opportunities ...... pg 53 Elgin-St. Thomas Resident Survey ...... pg 57 Community Consultations: Supports, Needs, Opportunities ...... pg 69

44 Appendices | Best Practices

Best Practices Bridges Out of Poverty http://www.bridgesoutofpoverty.com Bridges out of Poverty has acknowledged the work that has historically been done to help alleviate poverty and has used this to create a new methodology to build sustainable communities by considering poverty through and economic lens and moves away from a ‘silo’ approach. The ability for this program to adapt to suit the needs of the community is important to consider in the implementation of a strategy that addresses Economic Security.

Collective Impact –Stanford http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/collective_impact Collective Impact is a methodological approach to addressing community social problems. The approach utilizes five key conditions of: a common agenda, shared measurement systems, mutually reinforcing activities, continuous com- munications, and the presence of a backbone organization. Collective action works well in communities because there are many players working to achieve one goal and the benefits can be seen for all the contributing partners, having a more sustainable outcome. The Collective impact approach is important to consider in understanding the power of community collaborations.

Council of Canadians http://www.canadians.org/ The Council of Canadians is a citizen’s organization that works to protect social and economic concerns of Canada to promote social justice. The Council of Canadians is a good example of Canadian people working together to influence politics and systemic change. The council is entirely comprised of volunteers who do not accept monies from corpora- tions as a means to stay neutral and protect the right of all Canadians, not corporations.

Living Wage Hamilton http://livingwagehamilton.ca/ Hamilton is but one community which has calculated the living wage for the community. This calculation is used to help advocate local businesses to increase the wage they pay to that which is calculated to be a minimum rate that is needed for a family to not live below the poverty line. This project is a good example how a community can work together to promote social change within its limits. There are hopes that as the living wage is calculated in more communities across Canada there can be a larger change at provincial levels.

Neighbours, Friends and Families http://www.neighboursfriendsandfamilies.ca Neighbours, Friends and Families began as a local initiative to help communities support victims of abuse that grew to a trans-Canadian initiative. The program and training are being taught across Canada and the work was instrumental in informing political leaders on the intricate needs of people suffering from abuse. This is a good example of how a local cause can expand to enact systemic change.

45 Appendices | Pathways to Prosperity Community Engagement & Consultation Processes tified tified tified tified; Survey Completion tified; Survey Results/Outcomes y Council formed/network for information sharing/collection information for y Council formed/network tification of Current, Needs, Supports, Opportunities of Current, tification vey development/revision development/revision vey development/revision vey vey Completion vey areness: Presentation of local gender-based data gender-based of local Presentation areness: oject Launch akeholder survey developed, revised with feedback and distributed and distributed with feedback revised developed, survey akeholder eview/plan community survey development, distribution & outreach efforts & outreach distribution development, survey community eview/plan athways to Prosperity presentation at Employment Services Elgin team Services Elgin at Employment presentation Prosperity to athways available/ surveys stakeholder and information Prosperity to athways athways athways to Prosperity presentationat OntarioWorks Caseworkers; Survey erms of Reference & Evaluation Strategy for Council Strategy & Evaluation erms of Reference St and within service distribution organizations for network Pathways to stakeholders Pr Aw Advisor developed Iden T R Sur Supports, needs, opportunities iden Sur Supports, needs, opportunities iden P to distributed packages Survey Counsellors; with Employment meeting with clients completed to be desk locations and front counsellors P distributed Supports, needs, opportunities iden Sur P packages distributed to caseworkers & front desk locationsto be completed with clients; Supports, needs, opportunities iden ------Pathways to Prosperity to Pathways College Meeting Consultation Event/Activity Youth Engagement Youth Basic Skills Learners Information Session Information Women’s Residence Women’s Community Engagement & Consultation Processes & Consultation Community Engagement Stakeholder Consultation Stakeholder Stakeholder Survey Development Development Survey Stakeholder Elgin; Youth Homelessness Forum Elgin; Youth Community Consultation: Aylmer Community Consultation: Community Services – YWCA Literacy Literacy Community Services – YWCA Economic Security in Elgin St. Thomas Economic Community Survey Pilot Consultation: Community Survey Pathways to Prosperity Advisory Council Prosperity to Pathways Date 5/12 2012 25/12; July 3/12 Women’s Community Planning for Nov. 6/12 Nov. November November Nov. 19/12Nov. Algoma Community Consultation: September September October 10/12October Pilot Consultation: Community Survey 29/12October 30/12October Consultation Stakeholder in Children/Youth Community Council for September 18, September

46 Appendices | Pathways to Prosperity Community Engagement & Consultation Processes tified tified tified esearch Presentation; Community Initiative Presentation; Presentation; Community Initiative Presentation; esearch vey Completion vey Completion vey vey Completion vey vey Completion vey vey Completion vey vey Completion vey oject information oject display oject Information athways presentation and print surveys completed surveys and print presentation athways completed surveys and print presentation athways athways presentation and print surveys completed with assistance/ completed surveys and print presentation athways athways presentation and print surveys completed surveys and print presentation athways P P P & instructor coordinator services of FESPA translation P Supports, needs, opportunities iden Supports, needs, opportunities iden Sur Sur Pr Sur Supports, needs, opportunities iden Sur Pr Sur Pr Sur Community R Planning ------Pathways to Prosperity to Pathways Community Engagement & Consultation Processes (Cont.) Processes & Consultation Community Engagement Circle (FESPA) Meeting of Directors (St. Thomas) Fanshawe College Fanshawe Fellowship Dinner Fellowship Years Centres: Baby Time Baby Centres: Years Community Consultation: Community Consultation: Elgin Second Stage Housing Stage Elgin Second Years Centre – Baby Time (Aylmer) – Baby Centre Years Education Support Program Aylmer Support Program Education Services: Newcomers Conversation Conversation Services: Newcomers Dec. 3/12 Dec. 6/12Fairview Focus Community Consultation: Jan.31/12 Advisory Council Prosperity to Pathways Dec.11/12 Way : United Display Information Project Nov. 20/12Nov. Early Ontario Community Consultation: Nov. 21/12Nov. Board YWCA Community Consultation: 27/12Nov. Family Community Consultation: Nov. 27/12Nov. Early Ontario Community Consultation: Nov. 28/12Nov. St. Thomas- Community Consultation: 29/12Nov. Settlement Community Consultation: Dec. 13/12 Elgin West Community Consultation:

47 Appendices | Project Awareness & Information Sharing, Outreach & Support

Community Engagement: Project Awareness & Information Sharing, Outreach & Support Print & online surveys were made available through organizations, networks, newsletters, websites and events. Organization/Network/Newsletter/Event/Website Contact Location Alternative School Candace Parrack St. Thomas Aylmer & Area Chamber of Commerce Website - Aylmer Central Community Health Centre Heather Moller St. Thomas Chambers of Commerce (Dutton, West Elgin, St. Thomas & District, Elgin County City of St. Thomas Website Community Fellowship Dinner in West Elgin Diane Van Dyk West Elgin Corner Cupboard Food Bank in Aylmer Liz McConnell Aylmer Dutton Dunwich Chamber of Commerce Yvonne Brooks Dutton Dunwich Elgin Business Women’s Network Petrusia Hontar Elgin County Elgin County Library System (All Branches) Sandi Lopenen Elgin County Elgin St. Thomas Housing Corporation Susan McCormick Elgin County Elgin St. Thomas Public Health Darrell Jutzi Elgin County Elgin Mall – YWCA Gift Wrap Jackie Anger St. Thomas Fresh Start Maternity Supports Lori Wall St. Thomas Grand Central Apartments Building Supervisor St. Thomas Mennonite Community Services Aylmer MPP & MP offices St. Thomas Municipality of West Elgin Bernie Wiehle Website - West Elgin Shedden Women’s Institute Carol Gordon Southwold St. Thomas Seniors Centre Angela St. Thomas St. Thomas Police Service St. Thomas St. Thomas Public Library Paul Blower St. Thomas Terrace Lodge Retirement Home Aylmer Thames Valley District School Board Principals Elgin County Tiny Tots Cooperative Nursery School Melanie Rose West Elgin Township of Southwold Gayle Bogart Southwold United Way – Turkey Raffle Event Jackie Anger St. Thomas Violence Against Women Services Elgin County Deisy Vanegas Elgin County Wal Mart Robin Demeris St. Thomas West Elgin Community Health Centre Stephanie Skelding West Elgin West Elgin Early Years Advisory Council Cindy DaCosta West Elgin West Elgin Recreation Committee Jeff Slater West Elgin West Elgin Secondary School Barb Ross & Cindy Mc- West Elgin Dowell West Lorne Christmas Parade West Elgin West Lorne Women’s Institute West Elgin What’s Up Elgin Kate Burns St. Thomas Cable TV YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin Elgin County

48 Appendices | Elgin-St. Thomas Stakeholder Survey

Elgin-St. Thomas Stakeholder Survey Pathways to Prosperity Advisory Council (PPAC) aims to support women and community partners to work together to develop and implement a community plan to promote women’s economic security and prosperity in Elgin-St. Thomas.

You are being asked to participate in a research survey to support this effort. By completing the survey, you consent that you have read the following information and understand what information will be gathered and how it will be used.

The information collected in this county wide survey with stakeholders will be useful in helping identify women’s economic status and specific needs, institutional mechanisms/supports as well as gaps in services and promising practices in addressing barriers. Information gathered will complement a separate survey and community consultations with women which together, will be used to determine key priority areas, potential strategies and specific action steps to support women’s economic security in Elgin-St. Thomas.

The survey is 5 pages, 10 questions and takes approximately 15 minutes to fill out. The survey is completely confidential. Individual responses will not be disclosed in any form.

This study is being conducted by the following team:

Petrusia Hontar, M. Sc. Society, Science and Technology, M.Sc. Economic History: Demography, Pathways to Prosperity Researcher, E-mail: [email protected]; phone (519) 631-9800 ext. 61

Lindsay Rice, YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin Manager or Community Programs, E-mail: [email protected]; phone: (519)631-9800 ext. 25

Kellie Coelho, YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin Manager of Rural and Youth Programs, Email: [email protected]; phone: (519) 631-9800 ext. 39

If you have any concerns or questions about this research, please contact Lindsay Rice or Kellie Coelho.

If you have read, understand, & consent to participate, please continue to the survey.

Do you agree to complete the Survey?

Yes No

49 Appendices | Elgin-St. Thomas Stakeholder Survey

1. Background Information Please provide us with the following information: Organization/Company:

Respondent Position:

Email Address:

Gender: Male Female

Please indicate if you would like us to follow up with you for more information (circle one). Yes No

Does your organization actively promote/advertise your programs/services? Yes No

How (circle one)? Print Internet Radio Television Other

2. Services for Women Please list services you currently provide to women:

Please indicate the approximate number of women you provide services to in a year: ______

Men Women 51 3. What percentage of the people you serve are able to: 51 - 1 1 - - - 0 0 100%

50% 50% 100% 50%

Meet basic needs for food (fruits, vegetables, protein)? Meet basic needs for clothing (footwear, clothes for the weather)? Meet basic needs for shelter (safe, affordable, healthy)? Meet the needs of others who depend on them for food, clothing, and shelter? Have regular, reliable income? Save money? Pay bills on time? Get childcare when they need it? Access transportation when they need it? Rest, exercise or do something they enjoy each day? Get involved with the community? Get help from family and friends when they need it? Get help from others during time of illness?

50 Appendices | Elgin-St. Thomas Stakeholder Survey

4. Barriers to Economic Security Please select the items that your clients experience as a challenge

Affects Affects Affects Not a Men Both Women Barrier More Equally More

Poverty and Low Income Violence Drugs and/or Alcohol use Education Location of Education or Transportation Cost of Education Child Care to attend Education Level of Education Literacy Access to Child Care Access to Transportation Debt Loads Access to Housing Unemployment Underemployment Part time Contract Work Limited job variety Survival Jobs Might move to another city Understanding money matters Unplanned Parenting Single Parenting Dependent Care of Elderly Dependent Care of Child Access to Health Care Personal Health & Wellness Chronic Disease

Physical Disability Mental Health Culture Language Underemployment and Wage Discrepancy Money to Start a Business Life Planning &/or Budgeting

Other

51 Appendices | Elgin-St. Thomas Stakeholder Survey

5. What are the top 3 challenges that need be addressed for your clients to have/maintain a stable standard of living? For Men

1. 2. 3.

For Women

1. 2. 3.

6. Awareness of Services/Supports Are your clients aware of where to go for help to access services/supports that they need?

Yes No

7. Supports to Economic Security What services in Elgin St. Thomas do your clients access to support a stable standard of living? (Please check all that apply and describe if needed)

 Education ______ Financial Planning ______ Apprenticeship ______ Employment ______ Child Care ______ Elderly Care ______ Health Care ______ Housing ______ Social Assistance ______ Planning/Development Boards ______ Community Groups ______ Social Media ______ Awareness/Service Promotion Activities ______ Transportation ______ Cultural Networks ______ Language Instruction ______ Entrepreneurial Services  Other ______

52 Appendices | Elgin-St. Thomas Stakeholder Survey

8. In what ways can your clients be better supported by service providers to have/maintain a stable standard of living? For Men

1. 2. 3.

For Women

1. 2. 3. 9. Promising Practices Please describe promising practices currently used by your organization in supporting those who access your services.

 Outreach/Offsite Locations ______ Hours of Operation ______ Provision Child Care/Child Minding ______ Translation Services ______ Accessibility ______ Anonymity ______ Transportation Assistance ______ Information Referral ______ Reception/Front-Line Staff Training/Development ______ Participation in Planning/Development Committees ______ Other ______

10. Coordination

Do you feel there is a co-ordinated response to support women in achieving economic security?

Yes No

If yes, is there a need to build on this process?

Yes No

What key items, players or stakeholders should a co-ordinated approach include?

Please describe tangible results for women that you feel a coordinated approach could achieve.

Please use the area below for any further comments/questions or concerns.

Thank You for Completing Pathways to Prosperity Stakeholder Survey

53 Appendices | Service Provider & Stakeholder Consultation: Supports, Needs, Opportunities terprises ships for education for ships tinue to promote trades for women for trades to promote tinue schools within local tinuing education xible education options for women for options xible education anshawe College or other colleges- skills or other colleges- College anshawe Opportunities/Areas to Develop Opportunities/Areas Small and medium en Con apprenticeships) for (Encouragement Scholar F process assessment Con Fle part (more who seek higher education etc) options e-learn time options, ------or those sidies or support to sidies or support to al/affordable al/affordable eading, writing or anshawe College College anshawe Needs/Gaps Financing f a start to wanting business x2 Loc opportunities education R issues as other literacy obstacle employment Sub (Child further education issues) subsidy care F of Cost ( Transportation, tuition, Child minding) - - - - - omen’s Network omen’s esource Centre Centre esource (Compiled by service providers & stakeholders: July 3, 2012) & stakeholders: service(Compiled by providers Community Planning for Women’s Economic Security – Elgin County Economic Women’s Community Planning for e entrepreneurial potential of potential e entrepreneurial Service Provider & Stakeholder Consultation: Supports, Needs, Opportunities Consultation: & Stakeholder Service Provider Available Supports Available C, (Aylmer office) (Aylmer C, C- self-employ al and accessible education options options al and accessible education oma University treprenur’s support x treprenur’s ovide information on the growing or on the growing information ovide anshawe College (x2) College anshawe esources for starting a business starting for esources ducation opportunities- high school, ducation rades Program (Provide training for for training (Provide Program rades outh Workplace opportunities outh Workplace Loc 17 yr for (eg. School within a college olds SWAC E university college, Alg Pr in the economy sectors growth F T skill shortages where in areas women expected are Y EBR EBR Elgin Business W Explor women more R En Elgin Business R ------Training Category Business Support Literacy, Education & Education Literacy,

54 Appendices | Service Provider & Stakeholder Consultation: Supports, Needs, Opportunities yment services (Specific yment YEP youth for yment e flexible hours to accommodate to accommodate hours e flexible ease subsidized childcare ease subsidized aging more women in local workforce in local women aging more al housing authority to better support better al housing authority to SE- Childminding SE- Opportunities/Areas to Develop Opportunities/Areas Loc parents single family Incr Financial supports E Mor shift options with children- women Emplo in women for programming employment Elgin) Emplo Eng ------o yers yers ograms ograms e licensed child e limited x2 e limited are x4 are elated to children children to elated ordable, clean, safe clean, safe ordable, ordable childcare x2 childcare ordable vailability of quality/ vailability Needs/Gaps Lack of emplo to females young for the work experience force Supports/pr social long term for the break to assistance of poverty cycle Housing (Access t in some housing- gaps areas) Aff housing Gap r with special needs Child c spaces ar Aff A care affordable Need mor towns in rural/small care ------et/employment resources resources et/employment e Housing yment services yment e potential to get review labour review get to e potential Available Supports Available sidized daycare/child care x3 care daycare/child sidized CA Harmony House for young young House for CA Harmony al employment SP centres al employment tario Works - supports Works tario Stage Housing Stage W esources and information esources nd Loc R Emplo Labour mark urban parts of the county) (in most Explor in and out of (movement analysis flow gender by county) Supportiv YW residence YWCA- women; VA Sub On St. Thomas Housing 2 ------Housing Category Employment Social Assistance Children & Child Care Children

55 Appendices | Service Provider & Stakeholder Consultation: Supports, Needs, Opportunities o employment s re: culture/roles/relationships s re: Carpool t Opportunities/Areas to Develop Opportunities/Areas Barrier - - t of vehicle and t of vehicle tter bus system bus tter vailability of doctor’s in of doctor’s vailability ffordable mental mental ffordable ystemic barriers rooted rooted barriers ystemic ransportation x9 ransportation ransportation/ Needs/Gaps T Be T challenges transportation on buses, (Strollers and care to child Getting within St. Thomas work the county and across costly!) are (and taxis Cos in rural maintenance areas S in patriarchy A x2 especially rural area Accessible and a health counseling/group sessions x2 ------al Immigration al Immigration ainst Women Services Women ainst o health care (St. T Elgin Health o health care ed Way Available Supports Available CA x 2 (Resources for women) for CA x 2 (Resources Access t Unit, WECHC) Unit Violence Ag YW St. Thomas-Elgin Loc Partnership - - - Other Health - Category Transportation Culture & ValuesCulture -

56 Appendices | Service Provider & Stakeholder Consultation: Supports, Needs, Opportunities e: future e: future ollaboration of county county of ollaboration collaborate with networks such with networks collaborate tworking opportunities tworking /trading goods and services goods /trading eased awareness of entrepreneurial of entrepreneurial eased awareness velop a group to help women with help women to a group velop formation on upcoming industry sectors sectors industry upcoming on formation will be there on where formation ducation on the challenges of single, on the challenges ducation Opportunities/Areas to Develop Opportunities/Areas Expand on the c and city gov’t Support/ as EBWN Incr Centre support (Elgin Business Resource entrepreneurs) existing and/or new for Sharing In potential or have grouping are that In soon or in future shortages labour force De planning ie so while children long term achieving toward working small, still are financial independence (sometimes while working not worth feel women but then costs small due to are children up) catching trouble have Additional supports r opportunities E and poverty parenting Social ne ------ograms to to ograms outh to be outh to /training /training o raise awareness awareness o raise ta- interpretation of interpretation ta- increase women’s women’s increase self-sufficiency economic Specific pr Needs/Gaps Da the don’t know data- aren’t women reasons (What in the job market women for is the reason have to educated are who jobs?) paying the lower Planning boards development Helping y of supports aware available Need t create need to we why women for opportunities - - - - - Available Supports Available Category Community Awareness & Awareness Collaboration Programs/Groups Research/Information, Research/Information,

57 Appendices | Elgin-St. Thomas Resident Survey

Pathways to Prosperity

Elgin - St. Thomas Residents Survey Pathways to Prosperity Advisory Council works to support women and community partners to work together towards a plan and action steps that will promote a stable standard of living for women in Elgin St. Thomas. You are being asked to complete this survey to help us in this effort. Information that you give will help to identify challenges faced, supports available and strategies that are used as well as what can be done to better support and promote economic security for women. Opportunities/Areas to Develop Opportunities/Areas Expand on the collaboration of county county of Expand on the collaboration and city gov’t such with networks Support/collaborate as EBWN of entrepreneurial awareness Increased Centre support (Elgin Business Resource entrepreneurs) existing and/or new for Sharing/trading and services goods sectors industry upcoming on Information potential or have grouping are that will be there on where Information soon or in future shortages labour force with help women to a group Develop planning ie so while children long term achieving toward working small, still are financial independence (sometimes while working not worth feel women but then costs small due to are children up) catching trouble have re: future Additional supports opportunities of single, on the challenges Education and poverty parenting opportunities Social networking This survey is 12 pages long and has 35 questions.

------The survey is entirely confidential. For help to complete this survey, please contact Kellie Coelho. This study is being conducted by the following team: Petrusia Hontar, M. Sc. Society, Science and Technology, M.Sc. Economic History: Demography, Pathways to Prosperity Researcher, E-mail: [email protected]; phone (519) 631-9800 ext. 61 Lindsay Rice, YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin Manager of Community Programs, E-mail: [email protected]; phone: (519)631-9800 ext. 25 Kellie Coelho, YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin Manager of Rural and Youth Programs, Email: [email protected]; phone: (519) 631-9800 ext. 39 If you have any concerns or questions about this research, please contact Lindsay Rice or Specific programs to Specific programs women’s increase self-sufficiency economic Needs/Gaps Data- interpretation of interpretation Data- the don’t know data- aren’t women reasons (What in the job market women for is the reason have to educated are who jobs?) paying the lower Planning/training boards development be to Helping youth of supports aware available awareness raise Need to create need to we why women for opportunities Kellie Coelho. - - - - - I have read, understand, and consent to participate. Yes No

Available Supports Available Category Community Awareness & Awareness Collaboration Programs/Groups Research/Information, Research/Information,

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1. Gender What Gender are you?

Female Male

2. Standard of Living Do you feel you have what you need to:

Yes No Meet your basic needs for food (fruits, vegetables, protein)? Meet your basic needs for clothing (footwear, clothes for the weather)? Meet your basic needs for shelter (safe, affordable, healthy)? Meet the needs of others who depend on you for food, clothing, shelter? Earn a regular, reliable income? Save money? Pay your bills on time? Get childcare when you need it? Access transportation when you need it? Rest, exercise or do something you enjoy each day? Get involved with the community? Get help from family and friends when you need it? Get help from others during time of illness?

3. Supports to Economic Security Do you know who to go to for help?

Yes No

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4. Barriers to Economic Security Please select the items that you are experiencing as a challenge in your life.

Poverty and Low Income Violence Drugs and/or Alcohol use Education Location of Education or Transportation Cost of Education Child Care to attend Education Level of Education Literacy Access to Child Care Access to Transportation Debt Loads Access to Housing Unemployment Underemployment Part time Contract Work Limited job variety Survival Jobs Might move to another city Understanding money matters Unplanned Parenting Single Parenting Dependent Care of Elderly Dependent Care of Child Access to Health Care Personal Health & Wellness Chronic Disease Physical Disability Mental Health Culture Language Underemployment and Wage Discrepancy Money to Start a Business Life Planning &/or Budgeting

Other

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5. Please mark what you use: Used Used over Heard of Used in Never over 1 10 years but never past year heard of year ago ago used Bank Debt Councillor Apprenticeship Employment Services Library Child Care Elderly Care Health Care - Public Health Health Care - Family Doctor Health Care - Emergency Health Care - Walk-In Clinic Health Care - Community Health Centre Housing - Subsidised Housing Housing - Rent geared to income Housing - Emergency Shelter Social Assistance - Ontario Works (OW) Social Assistance - Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) Social Assistance - Canadian Pension Plan (CPP) Social Assistance - Ontario Child Benefit (Baby Bonus) Social Assistance - Canadian Child Tax Benefit Community Groups (Senior circles, mother groups, clubs, churches, cultural) Transportation - Voyageur Transportation - City Bus Transportation - Car Pooling Transportation - Taxi Language Instruction How to start your own business and Business loans Other

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6. Local Services In your experience, how good are the services in Elgin-St. Thomas to support a stable standard of living?

Happy Not happy Not with it with it Applicable Bank Debt Councillor Apprenticeship Employment Services Library Child Care Elderly Care Health Care - Public Health Health Care - Family Doctor Health Care - Emergency Health Care - Walk-In Clinic Health Care - Community Health Centre Housing - Subsidised Housing Housing - Rent geared to income Housing - Emergency Shelter Social Assistance - Ontario Works (OW) Social Assistance - Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) Social Assistance - Canadian Pension Plan (CPP) Social Assistance - Ontario Child Benefit (Baby Bonus) Social Assistance - Canadian Child Tax Benefit Community Groups (Senior circles, mother groups, clubs, churches, cultural) Transportation - Voyageur Transportation - City Bus Transportation - Car Pooling Transportation - Taxi Language Instruction How to start your own business and Business loans Other

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7. Helpful Services What best helps you to access services and supports? Not Matters Doesn’t Very Not important a little Matter Important Important Applicable Location close to home (live in the country) Open on Evening and/or Weekends Child Care /Child Minding available Speaking in my own language Wheelchair ramp &/or Accessibility Not having other people know that I use a service Help with a ride Being told about programs/services that might be helpful or of interest to me Reception/Front- Line Staff who know where I can get help Other

8. What have you done in the past or do you do presently to maintain a stable standard of living (needs for food clothing, shelter)?

9. What, if anything, do you do to plan for your financial future?

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10. Focus Areas What are your biggest challenges in having a stable standard of living?

11. Opportunity What would help you the most to have a stable standard of living?

12. Age under 18 50-54 18-24 55-59 25-29 60-64 30-34 65-74 35-39 75-84 40-44 85+ 45-49

13. Area of Residence Bayham (Vienna, Straffordville, Port Burwell) Malahide (Springfield, Port Bruce) Aylmer St. Thomas Central Elgin (Belmont, Sparta, Port Stanley) Southwold (Fingal, Shedden) Dutton/Dunwich (Wallacetown, Dutton) West Elgin (Rodney, West Lorne) I do not live in St. Thomas-Elgin but I work there

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14. What level of school have you finished? Elementary School High School College University Trades/Apprenticeship

15. What is your Marital Status? Single Married Common Law (Living with partner for over a year) Divorced/Separated Widowed

16. Do you have children? Yes No 17. How many children do you have in each age group Younger than 1 1 to 5 6-10 10-14 15- 19 20 and older

18. Do you take care of someone who is elderly? Yes No

19. Are you the only caregiver? Yes No

20. First Language English French Low German Other, please specify... ______

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21. Employment Are you currently employed?

Yes (continue to 22) No (continue to 23)

22. Hours 23. Why are you unemployed? Number of hours of work a week I don't want to work Less than 10 I don't need to work 10-30 hrs I am looking for work 30hrs+ I am going to school What is your occupation? I am taking care of children I am taking care of older adults

I don't have schooling (Continue to 25) I don't have a ride There are no jobs in my field There are no options for work close to where I live

I am unable to work because of my health

I am unable to work because of a disability

Other, please specify... ______

24. How do you pay for the things you need without working? Saving/budgeting/investments Loans/lines of credit/credit cards Partner has a job Financial help from parents Ontario Works ODSP Employment Insurance Canada Pension Plan Paid odd jobs/work under the table

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25. Level of Income

What is your Level of Personal Income? What is your Level of Household Income? Less than $10 000 Less than $10 000 10,000-19,999 10,000-19,999 20, 000-29,999 20, 000-29,999 30,000-39,999 30,000-39,999 40,000-49, 999 40,000-49, 999 50,000-59,999 50,000-59,999 60,000-69,999 60,000-69,999 70,000 -79,999 70,000 -79,999 80,000+ 80,000+

26. Job Search Are you currently looking for a job?

Yes No

27. Why are you looking for a job? I do not work enough hours I work too many hours I do not make enough money I do not like my job My job is too far from home My job is too stressful I do not like my work schedule I want a job in my field

28. Do you read Newspapers? Yes No

29. Do you read magazines? Yes No

30. Do you use the internet to go to websites? Yes No

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Do you use facebook or twitter? Yes No

31. Do you listen to the radio? Yes No

32. Do you watch TV? Yes No

33. Do you use flyers? Yes No

34. Do you get advice from family and friends? Yes No

35. Do you get Advice from a counsellor/ professional or case worker Yes No

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Thank-you! Please indicate if you would like us to follow up with you for more information.

Yes No

Comments Please provide comments or questions

Contact Information If you would like to be added to a raffle for a month worth of groceries ($500 value) please provide your contact information.

Name

Contact

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69 Appendices | Community Consultations: Supports, Needs, Opportunities o back to ants and bursaries for for and bursaries ants eed more information information eed more upport system for parents parents for upport system school- have a guidance school- have adults counsellor for S income tuition (one who pay family) Gr Students Elgin tuition of funded) (city/council N back to to go about how school counselling to g Opportunities/Areas to Opportunities/Areas Develop - - - - amily member die and leave me money-that is the only me money-that amily member die and leave y rent to live at home and pay for tuition” for home and pay at to live y rent st of books & tuition of st ant higher education but need to get a job to save money money a job to save but need to get higher education ant ave student bank loans and OSAP loans “debt load is loans “debt bank loans and OSAP student ave ifficult to qualify for Fanshawe programs when on EI programs Fanshawe for ifficult to qualify istance education requires that you have a computer and have you that requires education istance dult Learning Centre - have to do course through through to do course - have Centre dult Learning roblems with OSAP roblems on’t consider education in London because need childcare, need childcare, because in London consider education on’t eceive $14,000 but live on own so that isn’t enough money. enough money. isn’t so that on own but live $14,000 eceive nternet at library is for 1 hour sessions is for library at nternet W tuition for D A in class support prefer - would correspondence D home at internet I Co “had a f going to school” I can afford way P r to bring her income $19,000 She earns $5000 annually back. claw they * before will allow OSAP which is the most not realistic “I pa H school” when leave impossible D and tuition costs parking costs Challenges/Needs/Gaps ------Community Consultations: Supports, Needs, Opportunities Community Consultations: Community Planning for Women’s Economic Security – Elgin County Economic Women’s Community Planning for (Compiled from Community Consultations hosted October-December 2012) October-December hosted Community Consultations (Compiled from upport ary Available Available Supports School S at Coordinator Algoma Libr - - Training Literacy, Literacy, Category Education & Education

70 Appendices | Community Consultations: Supports, Needs, Opportunities t to find work in t to find e jobs oung adult program to oung adult program a y (ESE) with job search assist mor Some wan here and stay County Elgin Opportunities/Areas to Opportunities/Areas Develop - - - t. Didn’t receive good service good receive t. Didn’t f employment opportunities f employment ant to be a teacher ant ant a journalism job therefore need to move outside of outside of need to move a journalism job therefore ant ’s just a job” -not an interest a job” just ’s igh competition for jobs igh competition for ard to get a job to get ard mployment – unable to work because of immigrant status, status, immigrant of because – unable to work mployment ou need to know someone in order to get a job in this to get someone in order ou need to know o get a job in St. Thomas you need to know someone to get a job in St. someone to get need to know o get Thomas you nvested alot of money in education but also need money to but also need money in education money alot of nvested Lack o H ESE not the friendlies T in H I to job locations a car so can get for pay “it W E competition; lots of in area, jobs few very Y community W city to larger County Elgin Challenges/Needs/Gaps Community was designed for Ford employee incomes and employee Ford was designed for Community gone are jobs manufacturing those now ------SIN) Available Available Supports esume help & esume ylmer community ylmer community mployment Services mployment E x4 Elgin (r workshops) A services Service Canada ( - - - - Category Employment Employment Employment 1) page (Cont.

71 Appendices | Community Consultations: Supports, Needs, Opportunities ts and e centre e centre e – there are a are e – there oms & tots programs oms & tots programs oney matters workshop workshop matters oney ealth unit - provide more more ealth unit - provide niversal childcare niversal rograms for dads and tots for rograms upport for special needs upport for ransitional childcare - childcare ransitional kids utoring for Licensed child car in Aylmer Child Car services to childrens lack of single moms to attend allow meetings with caseworkers etc.; is expensive child care limited are and there options Bring back car sea crib through health unit crib through P H new moms(want support for turnover) less staff T and days hours various M T S children U M but not literacy), (financial the bank.through “had with the an experience bank and it was an awful and degrading” experience a young adult program to adult program a young (ESE) with job search assist jobs more work in to find Some want here and stay County Elgin Opportunities/Areas to Opportunities/Areas Develop Opportunities/Areas to Opportunities/Areas Develop ------y where do you go for help? for go do you y where W - winter clothing assistance decreased decreased clothing assistance W - winter SP your min wage pay check gets docked check gets pay min wage SP your e costs too high e costs e the moms & tots program with F&CS but you need to but you with F&CS e the moms & tots program ant to see F&CS respond more to those parents asking for asking for parents to those more respond to see F&CS ant subsidies childcare OW for ait list eed access to affordable childcare – babysitters childcare eed access to affordable eed certain number of days for OW childcare subsidies childcare OW for days eed certainof number eed childcare for people with rotating shifts, night jobs, jobs, shifts, night people with rotating for eed childcare ard to get a hold of F&CS worker F&CS a hold of to get ard ot able to save money ot able to save mployers not accommodating if you don’t have childcare have don’t if you not accommodating mployers &CS not helping &CS arents don’t save money for them for money save don’t arents F N Lik is a wait list and there register H W help Childcar W N N weekends E When in crisis and no mone Concerns about O and no back to school dollars When on OD P N Lack of employment opportunities employment Lack of jobs competition for High service good receive ESE not the friendliest. Didn’t a job in St. someone to get need to know get Thomas you To in a job to get Hard to but also need money in education money alot of Invested to job locations a car so can get for pay -not an interest a job” just “it’s Want to be a teacher Want status, immigrant of because – unable to work Employment competition; lots of in area, jobs few very a job in this to get someone in order need to know You community Want a journalism job therefore need to move outside of outside of need to move a journalism job therefore Want city to larger County Elgin Challenges/Needs/Gaps Challenges/Needs/Gaps Community was designed for Ford employee incomes and employee Ford was designed for Community gone are jobs manufacturing those now ------C x 2 (children’s C x 2 (children’s Available Available Supports Available Available Supports errymount oms & tots ntario Works ntario OEY programs) M M O Employment Services Employment x4 Elgin help & (resume workshops) community Aylmer services Service Canada (SIN) ------Care Category Category Employment Children & Child Children Social Assistance Employment Employment 1) page (Cont.

72 Appendices | Community Consultations: Supports, Needs, Opportunities or those or those or university or university ordable housing ordable ordable housing/shelter housing/shelter ordable ental health supports ental in mental support for ore ealth coverage (dental) ealth coverage ddiction services in Aylmer AWSEC in Aylmer AWSEC H M Aylmer A M health A drug plan f - on min wage employed contribution employee Better aff A service f find that helps that students housing and can appropriate housing costs identify real out on move you before own your Aff in Aylmer V Opportunities/Areas to Opportunities/Areas Develop ------omen’s shelter with nothing and was given a $25 shelter with nothing and was given omen’s f affordable housing. Need first & last month’s rent month’s & last Need first housing. f affordable f sleep tress impacts tress health yed at YWCA but got robbed but got YWCA at yed y up studying vs. Getting enough sleep vs. y up studying orking for min wage - no benefits, need money to purchase to purchase - no benefits, need money min wage orking for omen’s shelter very cold - didn’t like it so back with ex like cold - didn’t shelter very omen’s ard to do school & job at same time. No time for time for No same time. to do school & job at ard eed dental work done - wisdom teeth removed that are are that done - wisdom teeth removed work eed dental will but the recovery - need operation eed medical attention ousing options that are less expensive are dirty, run down run down dirty, are less expensive are ousing options that and a room to share shelter but have used the women’s ave on’t always get to live at home or in residence when you when you home or in residence at to live get always on’t epression showering is a luxury” showering W meds H relationships D secondary school post attend Lack o H conditions and un-liveable Sta H therefore the other women by and threatened unsafe felt back with husband moved Came to w the shelter at another woman by but it was stolen gift card, W “ This s D Lack o Sta N $2000 but it costs infected N and would need to miss work would min therefore be 3 days go ahead with can’t days for those need to find childcare pain with chronic to live and chooses surgery Challenges/Needs/Gaps ------ntario – ntario tral Community Community tral Available Available Supports alk in clinic ON, Red Cross & Cross ON, Red AWSEC V V Canadian Cancer Society - cancer treatments W Aylmer Service O Health Card Health Cen Centre Health - - - - - Health Category Housing & Safety Housing

73 Appendices | Community Consultations: Supports, Needs, Opportunities ansportation /system in Aylmer in Aylmer /system ansportation longer ansportation longer ed to income bus ransit System System ransit orth Link to London - bus orth Link to London river test (road test in test (road test river us system with longer with longer us system ransportation networks in networks ransportation System rain Health coverage (dental) coverage Health health supports in Mental Aylmer Addiction services in Aylmer mental support for More health those A drug plan for - on min wage employed contribution employee Better affordable housing Better affordable university A service for find that helps that students housing and can appropriate housing costs identify real out on move you before own your housing/shelter Affordable in Aylmer in Aylmer VAWSEC Better public tr and London (rural destinations) D Aylmer) T Aylmer Public bus has) (St.Thomas B transfer and longer hours times Public tr hours Gear passes N access and - more system better advertised Go T T Opportunities/Areas to Opportunities/Areas Develop Opportunities/Areas to Opportunities/Areas Develop ------ve vehicles but older cars and still need to and still but older cars vehicles ve ansportation takes too long to get anywhere too long to get ansportation takes too short are ansportation hours ansit doesn’t support work on weekends within St. supporton weekends work ansit doesn’t tions of OSAP funding ie. Funding for car available but car available for Funding funding ie. OSAP tions of ’t get transportation to attend church to attend transportation ’t get ity is designed for those with vehicles with vehicles those ity is designed for on’t have a car/drivers license a car/drivers have on’t ransportation – public transit is not dependable, is not dependable, – public transit ransportation too long, it needs to be Concerns - bus takes ransportation Working for min wage - no benefits, need money to purchase to purchase - no benefits, need money min wage for Working meds time for No same time. to do school & job at Hard relationships Don’t always get to live at home or in residence when you when you home or in residence at to live get always Don’t secondary school post attend rent month’s & last Need first housing. affordable Lack of run down dirty, are less expensive are options that Housing conditions and un-liveable robbed but got YWCA at Stayed and a room to share shelter but have used the women’s Have therefore the other women by and threatened unsafe felt back with husband moved a $25 shelter with nothing and was given Came to women’s the shelter at another woman by but it was stolen gift card, it so back with ex like cold - didn’t shelter very Women’s “showering is a luxury” “showering impacts health This stress Depression sleep Lack of Getting enough sleep vs. up studying Stay are that done - wisdom teeth removed work dental Need $2000 but it costs infected will but the recovery - need operation medical attention Need and would need to miss work would min therefore be 3 days go ahead with can’t days for those need to find childcare pain with chronic to live and chooses surgery Limita school a certainfrom live distance only if you Public tr Public tr public tr in London work for Thomas or allow T and/or with walkers times, no assistance at stop doesn’t no problematic; ride are and length of frequency strollers, to London transportation in evenings, available transportation about this is not available or information is unavailable T too costly accessible, more D Some people ha and insurance gas for pay Can C Challenges/Needs/Gaps Challenges/Needs/Gaps ------ntario ntario S Available Available Supports Available Available Supports ides (hospital/ VAWSEC VON, Red Cross & Cross Red VON, Canadian Cancer Society - cancer treatments Walk in clinic Walk Aylmer – Service Ontario Card Health Community Central Centre Health MC R (MCS) Dr.appt) Service O (driver license) (driver ------Health Category Category Transportation Housing & Safety Housing

74 Appendices | Community Consultations: Supports, Needs, Opportunities elcome wagon elcome wagon e skills programs in e skills programs ant a booklet listing all a booklet listing ant rientation to services rientation rovide assistance to young to young assistance rovide ree haircuts for low income low for haircuts ree O P is a lack of moms - there information Bring back w wagon and baby W income services to help low booklets Have women. OW by distributed F moms Lif Aylmer Opportunities/Areas to Opportunities/Areas Develop ------ant less turnover in social service staffing - you have to have you - in social service staffing less turnover ant o knowing what services exist what o knowing ot sure where to find information where ot sure ave too many case workers - difficult to navigate the system the navigate - difficult to case workers too many ave nformation/Advocacy – knowledge of where to go for help for to go where of – knowledge nformation/Advocacy N I needs and who can help with what N W just after you’ve to the new person whole story your repeat worker the last to know started getting H Challenges/Needs/Gaps - - - - - s at s at unity living/ gle information eine spaper, on-line spaper, Available Available Supports iabetes programs amily & friends ocus Fairview ocus Fairview egal Clinic Clinic egal albot Teen Centre albot Teen new Goo F Counsellor Second Stage centre centre L Y WCA D F Centre Community Caff T Comm ------Groups Category Research/ Programs/ Community Community Information, Information, Awareness & Awareness Collaboration

75 Appendices | Community Consultations: Supports, Needs, Opportunities ets or moms ouchers ouchers t discounts at at t discounts ore healthy and fresh and fresh healthy ore rograms for young boys boys young for rograms ecreation places and play places and play ecreation ndoor swimming pool in ndoor swimming Studen stores grocery Bring back fruit bask Bring back milk v health unit through M bank and more food at food access Cooking classes f I Aylmer P in Aylmer (rec) R and in - need more groups locations more Opportunities/Areas to Opportunities/Areas Develop ------A has limited access - hours that have open swim are are open swim have that A has limited access - hours st of general necessities general of st eat to have a methadone clinic but there are often fights fights often are a methadone clinic but there to have eat ad bad experience at church because they didn’t know know didn’t they because church at ad bad experience resh produce is too expensive is too expensive produce resh ood bank hours - M, T & R and only once e/o month (food (food month - M, T & R and only once e/o ood bank hours ood Security – better quality/organic is more expensive; can expensive; is more ood Security – better quality/organic eel like people in the community are mean and not friendly are people in the community eel like umpstart funding has limited age restrictions and amounts and amounts restrictions funding has limited age umpstart F F 2 weeks) for only lasts Co F to timing and (subject 2 months bank 1x every only visit food availability) Gr witnessing this behavior place - children - not a safe out front J activities recreation for per year H not welcomed and were anyone F YMC without bus access away far and it’s children for good Challenges/Needs/Gaps ------unity dinners unity garden tgs - 7 times ation Army x2 Army ation Available Available Supports wling/soccer/ ethadone Clinic arcotics Anonymous arcotics ood bank x3 ood bank Aylmer ood bank Aylmer Comm F Salv F board) (corner Comm M N AA m - need them week advertised more Bo swimming/skating ------Food Food Leisure Category Community/ Addictions

76 76 Appendices | Community Consultations: Supports, Needs, Opportunities 5 8 8 12 12 13 18 10 40 # of Participants # of Contact Bev Fellows Fellows Bev Jackie Anger Jackie Donna Rankin Donna Cheryl Simmons Cheryl Van Raes Cheryl Van Cheryl Barendregt Kristine Holcome-Parker Kristine Selvin Mejia & Farrah Nazir & Farrah Selvin Mejia Anita Harms & Joyce Jefferys & Joyce Anita Harms Community Consultations Community Community Planning for Women’s Economic Security – Elgin County Economic Women’s Community Planning for Group (FESPA) Baby Time Time Baby Focus Fairview Focus Algoma College Algoma Ontario Early Years Centre Centre Early Years Ontario YWCA Women’s Residence Women’s YWCA (St. Thomas & Aylmer locations) (St. Thomas & Aylmer Newcomers Conversation Circle Conversation Newcomers Literacy Basic Skills Class in Aylmer Basic Skills Class Literacy YWCA Youth Engagement Program Engagement Youth YWCA iscouraging egret moving here moving egret ust want to do better want ust St. Thomas Elgin Second Stage Housing St. Second Stage Thomas Elgin Other Comments included: Other Comments R J D Family Education Support Program Aylmer Aylmer Support Program Education Family - - -

77 77 78 16 Mary Street West St. Thomas, ON N5P 2S3 TF: 1-800-461-0954 | P: 519-631-9800 | F: 519-631-6411 E: [email protected]

www.ywcastthomaselgin.org

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