O.C.A.P. Mass Delegation To City Hall For HSF Justice. October 12,2016

The Ontario Coalition Against Poverty(OCAP) gathered yesterday in a mass delegation for justice against the Housing Stabilization Fund(HSF). The HSF was introduced in January of 2013 and is meant to help those on social assistance in the most dire of circumstances. In a lot of cases the people affected are the people in need of the most basic of things.It is meant to get and keep people off the streets, help them move, help pay for hydro, furniture, guide dogs etc.. Since 2013 the fund has been administered by the City of Toronto and has been shrouded in a veil of secrecy. Once an applicant has been turned down there is no appeal. When OCAP was here last on June 13 2016. Laurie Bardeau and her family were fighting for replacement of her furniture, which she was told to throw out because of bed bugs. With OCAP’s help she won her case and has since become a rallying point for all those others still in need. Once inside the delegation was met by a couple of junior staffers and given the usual “we are going to have more consultations” run around. Sadly the people in the most need don’t have the luxury of that kind of time. Winter is fast approaching and one can only hope in a city as wonderful and prosperous as Toronto is, the very least our city government can do is help protect those in the most vulnerable of positions. Thanks to OCAP , the Bardeau family and all those who showed up for once again stepping up. To the mayor John Tory and all the councillors involved,…..do the right thing!! Let’s make sure Toronto leads the way in social justice and not just sweep it under the”budgetary rug”.