TORONTO — The Jewish Poverty Action Group (JPAG) has just come to the end of its poverty reduction pilot project aimed at the working poor, but it’s continuing to address issues of poverty, said Janis Roth, executive director of Jewish Immigrant Aid Services Toronto (JIAS.)
Janis Roth
Comprising representatives from JIAS Toronto, Kehilla Residential Program, Jewish Family & Child and UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, the group was started six years ago after the 2005 national conference on the poverty of Canadian Jewish families initiated by the Association of Jewish Family and Children’s Agencies, Canadian offices.
Roth said the group was so charged up after attending the conference, they decided that something had to be done to change the way families who live in poverty in our community are assisted.
She said that financial assistance is different from a poverty reduction program in that those on financial assistance often have certain life conditions that keep them from rising above their situation. “They will likely require the community’s support – funded by federation and managed by JF&CS and JIAS – over long periods of time.”
Poverty reduction, she said, looks at the root causes of poverty and tries to implement strategies to lift people out. “We wanted to look at reasons why they were stuck in low-paying jobs or were under-employed, and provide them with opportunities for change.”
Eric Kirsh, supervisor of the financial assistance and rehabilitation program at JF&CS, said that about 11 per cent or 21,575 Jews in the Toronto area live in poverty and about 5,000 are defined as working poor.
After obtaining a $200,000 grant from the Jewish Foundation of Greater Toronto, they hired co-ordinator Dalia Margalit-Faircloth to look at 10 families – clients of JIAS or JF&CS – who were transitionally poor as a result of having immigrated or because of health or family circumstances, Kirsh said. “By investing in these families up front, we are breaking the cycle. The long-term implications are huge.”
Roth said that one family in the JPAG program was supporting five people on $36,000 and saw its income rise by 66 per cent after the mother was provided with funds to write a recertification exam.
“Many of the families are reporting an increased sense of pride and hope because the community saw them as important enough to invest in. One woman said she was even able to lose weight because her family was eating better. This points to the ripple effect.”
Kirsh said that every family saw an improvement. “Half have been lifted out of poverty and do not rely on assistance, and some are on the route.”
Kim Smiley, director of capacity building for community social services for UJA Federation, said that they are looking into other pilot projects, with the help of developer and philanthropist Joseph Lebovic, “a champion for the vulnerable in our community.”
She said that one such project, a rent bank, is aimed at people who spend more than 50 per cent of their income on housing. “Some people spend up to 75 per cent of their income on housing, and they are at risk of becoming homeless. Some people have to choose between rent and food. We are looking to reduce this risk factor so that they only spend 40 per cent of their income. This can make a miraculous difference.”
Roth said that scholarships for educational and career advancement are also important, “because if you invest in someone up front you are helping them towards self-reliance and setting the stage for their [family’s] future.”
To that end, JIAS offers the Shindman/ShaRna Foundation scholarship to newcomers who want to continue their post-secondary education, she said, and Lebovic’s donation will also go towards vocational training.
JVS, she said, was also instrumental in helping the families in the pilot project find their work path.
Through JPAG, she said, “we’ve shown that with collaboration, sharing of resources, developing purposeful strategies and, most importantly, putting people first, we can provide opportunities for lifelong changes. JPAG is looking for additional resources and opportunities to expand its poverty reduction efforts on behalf of community members.”
