Co-operative Housing Association
of Eastern Ontario

Co-ops and Housing Issues in the News!

A city committee heard one heart-wrenching story after another yesterday from cash-strapped welfare and disability recipients who say they have no hope.

"The worst thing is not having anything to look forward to, knowing things are only going to get worse," said a weeping Eloise Lafontaine.

After listening to more than a dozen delegations saying allocations don't cover basic needs, the health, recreation and social services committee recommended council send people services general manager Dick Stewart to speak to the province. Social assistance was cut 22% in 1995 and the province has provided no cost-of-living increases since. Shelter allowances, which fall several hundred dollars short of average rents, have residents routinely dipping into their food money. The situation will only worsen with upcoming rent, hydro and OC Transpo fare increases, they said.

"What you may not be aware of is that most of us sit one or two rent increases away from homelessness," said Sonja Cronkite, of Psychiatric Survivors of Ottawa.