In Ontario a person on benefits either gets at max whole month on Ontario Works 390 for shelter a whole month, and 345 for clothing, food and transportation, people with disabilities those with down syndrome, intellectual disabilities, developmental delays, deaf and other disabilities get at max 497 for shelter and 700 for basic needs which is to cover food, clothing and transportation, do you think you could survive for years on either income. I saw some people on terb say 2000 a month is peanuts, people on either social assistance do not get that much.
Benefits could you survive off it
- Thread starter Escortlover24
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I can understand Ontario works being that low. It is to encouraging working instead of being on the system.
I don’t agree with ODSP being that low. It is unfair to put a disabled person below the property line when there is nothing they can really do about it.
Also if COVID taught us anything, internet should be considered an essential necessity and covered in the basic shelter allowance
PS - basic allowance for ODSP as a single person is 672. Not 700. To you and me $28 is not a big difference. To them it is huge.
I don’t agree with ODSP being that low. It is unfair to put a disabled person below the property line when there is nothing they can really do about it.
Also if COVID taught us anything, internet should be considered an essential necessity and covered in the basic shelter allowance
PS - basic allowance for ODSP as a single person is 672. Not 700. To you and me $28 is not a big difference. To them it is huge.
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The only person that can survive on benefits such as ODSP is an ODSP recipient that is living in a Long Term Care facility.
eg. Let's say that the LTC facility charges $1800 per month, basic rate for a bed in a room of 4 persons, for a person not on ODSP.
Let's say that ODSP recipient receives $1200 in monthly payments,
The ODSP recipient will only pay the reduced LTC institution rate for a resident that is on ODSP of say, $1000 monthly for their stay there, this amount covers everything,-bed, social programs, personal support workers, nurses, round the clock care ,prescription drugs, laundry, 3 meals a day...etc..
The balance of $200 goes to recipient.
eg. Let's say that the LTC facility charges $1800 per month, basic rate for a bed in a room of 4 persons, for a person not on ODSP.
Let's say that ODSP recipient receives $1200 in monthly payments,
The ODSP recipient will only pay the reduced LTC institution rate for a resident that is on ODSP of say, $1000 monthly for their stay there, this amount covers everything,-bed, social programs, personal support workers, nurses, round the clock care ,prescription drugs, laundry, 3 meals a day...etc..
The balance of $200 goes to recipient.
You totally don’t get the way it works and he just explained it.
You get a maximum shelter amount of $497 per month. That is it. Plus $672 for basic needs. That is already less the “$1200”. We can’t “round” the numbers here because with income this low, every dollar counts.
And ODSP cuts off at 65. Then you go to OAS and GIS which is less then ODSP in total if I recall my numbers correctly. Which most in LTC homes are well over 65.
Sorry but your math, age and general synopsis is just way too off the mark. I get what you are trying to say. It would only work if a place included “shelter” and “ basic needs” in one low bill but that is just not how it works.
Reminder to all basic needs is to cover everything from phone bill, internet, food, clothing, gifts, transportation, even some medications that are not covered as well. Anything non emergency dental related with the exceptions of cleanings. They are suppose to cover eyewear but often only cover part because they have no increased the amount but inflations has taken its toll. This is just a few things.
This is one of the reasons I do my Xmas and Easter donation give away a. I sponsor a few families and between escort clients and mainstream business employees and clients, we really help out a many as we personally can.
Which is why 90% of recipients supplement their income. Women sell their body and men sell drugs. There is literally no way to exist on that amount of money in this economy. Social services are a punishment.
390 plus 345 is 735 a month. Toss in say another 65 for combines GST and Trillium benefit, I think the carbon rebate would add another 40
That's 835. You can get a room in Scarbourgh for 500 a month if you push it [helps if you are Chinese] and in a smaller burg a bit more easily. I know someone who does this.
335. If you eat cheap and healthy and dress cheap you could make the 335 go. Double plus so if you use the food banks and you can get clothing for free I'd guess. If you are looking for job, I think they will get you a bus pass and fuck, I know people on minimum wage who hoof it everywhere.
Is it living large, hell no, is it doable in extremis sure. I wouldn't want to do it, but the dole isn't meant to live well, it's too keep you off the street until you can unfuck your life for a short period of time.
As for disability and the extra 450 a month, sure. If you need wheelchair accessible accommodation it will rough but I know they do give out supplements and I'd be shocked if they don't get put at the top of the list for subsided housing.
In the mid 90s, you could rent a usable but meh apartment for the 325 they gave you in the Hammer. I did so, all in including AC.
Reminds me of a conversation back in Hamilton I had where I was suggesting to one of those activists that for homeless people they could set up those capsel type rooms they have in Japan for nightly rent. Stack a bunch of 4 by 4 by 8 or 9 foot rooms with shared bathroom facilities and laundry. Have someone to keep an eye on the place, keep in clean and provide other supports. If I were homeless I'd much rather have one of those to call home than a cardboard box outside if be in an open room with 50 other dudes snoring, hacking up a lung, sharing their TB and having to keep my shoes/boots on so they don't get stolen. She did not like that problem. It's not a solution, it's not housing. Well fuck me in the ass but it is a huge improvement to what they have and it would be more affordable. I didn't bother arguing the point though, didn't mention how it was good enough for Japanese salarymen. But yeah, better to freeze to death I guess?
A single person receiving the ODSP amount can make ends meet provided that they don't have to use a significant portion of their basic needs amount, ($672/month) to pay rent in excess of the maximum housing allowance. A fair number of them live in subsidized housing, where the monthly rent is less than $150 - the difference between the maximum housing allowance of around $500 per month and the actual amount of rent paid is not added to the basic needs amount; it just pays for part of the housing subsidy, through government inter-department accounting entries. People receiving ODSP who live in rooming houses that serve meals receive about $150-$200 per month of spending money, and the rest of their cheque goes to the landlord for their room and board.
Some people are homeless by choice - they could live in a rooming house, but they prefer to have more spending money from their government cheque.
A single person would have great difficulty making ends meet on $672 per month basic needs if:
1) They own a car: The cost of gas, parking and insurance would eat up a large portion of the $672.
2) They travel frequently on public transport, instead of walking: $3.25 for each TTC fare adds up quickly,
3) They regularly buy alcohol and/ or cigarettes: Alcohol SHOULD be a non-essential purpose. People who smoke are chumps if they pay more than $30 for a carton of 200 'Indian band' cigarettes.
4) They regularly buy retail coffee, fast food, bottled water, or junk food. Coffee drinkers can brew coffee at home. Any restaurant food is more expensive than cooking at home with the same ingredients. Tap water is free; you can fill an empty bottle before leaving home, and replenish it at any of a number of places. Junk food is subject to the 13% HST; most food in a grocery store is not.
5) They own one or more pets: When my cat was alive, his basic needs were about $100 per month, not including veterinary costs, but I fed him good quality food.
6) They buy things with a debit card, instead of using cash: bank fees add up quickly. About once every six weeks, I withdraw enough cash to last me for six weeks. I pay nothing in bank fees.
7) They spend money before they have it: Many low income people receive a cheque in the mail a few days before it's due date. They rush off to Money Mart, pay a high percentage to have their money a couple of days early, and they spend a fair portion of their monthly stipend before the date stamped on the cheque. Invariably, they run out of money before the end of the month, and repeat this same mistake, over and over. Grocery stores often have their best specials between the 14th and 28th days of the month, when only the financially responsible low income people can afford to stock up on bargains. If the grocery store didn't do this, they would have fewer customers during the latter part of the month, but staff salaries and overhead costs would be the same.
8) They pay subscription fees for entertainment: Services like Netflix or Spotify are for people with employment income. For the same monthly amount, you can buy used CDs or DVDs at a second-hand store or pop-up flea market, and listen to tunes or binge watch at home, or on a portable player.
9) They make impulse purchases, just because they have money in their pocket. That painting of Elvis on velvet may have seemed like a bargain at $10 on cheque day, but you could get it for $2 on the 27th of the month, from the guy who could only afford to own it for four weeks.
10) They don't bargain hunt for telecommunications carriers: I pay about $70 a month for Internet and landline phone from Teksavvy, and I no longer have Cable TV - my feud with Rogers will be the topic of another post. I have no need of a cell phone; if I'm out, I don't WANT people to be able to contact me. If someone on a low income NEEDS to have a cell phone, they have to do without some other purchase that's non essential. It's a question of priorities.
Some people are homeless by choice - they could live in a rooming house, but they prefer to have more spending money from their government cheque.
A single person would have great difficulty making ends meet on $672 per month basic needs if:
1) They own a car: The cost of gas, parking and insurance would eat up a large portion of the $672.
2) They travel frequently on public transport, instead of walking: $3.25 for each TTC fare adds up quickly,
3) They regularly buy alcohol and/ or cigarettes: Alcohol SHOULD be a non-essential purpose. People who smoke are chumps if they pay more than $30 for a carton of 200 'Indian band' cigarettes.
4) They regularly buy retail coffee, fast food, bottled water, or junk food. Coffee drinkers can brew coffee at home. Any restaurant food is more expensive than cooking at home with the same ingredients. Tap water is free; you can fill an empty bottle before leaving home, and replenish it at any of a number of places. Junk food is subject to the 13% HST; most food in a grocery store is not.
5) They own one or more pets: When my cat was alive, his basic needs were about $100 per month, not including veterinary costs, but I fed him good quality food.
6) They buy things with a debit card, instead of using cash: bank fees add up quickly. About once every six weeks, I withdraw enough cash to last me for six weeks. I pay nothing in bank fees.
7) They spend money before they have it: Many low income people receive a cheque in the mail a few days before it's due date. They rush off to Money Mart, pay a high percentage to have their money a couple of days early, and they spend a fair portion of their monthly stipend before the date stamped on the cheque. Invariably, they run out of money before the end of the month, and repeat this same mistake, over and over. Grocery stores often have their best specials between the 14th and 28th days of the month, when only the financially responsible low income people can afford to stock up on bargains. If the grocery store didn't do this, they would have fewer customers during the latter part of the month, but staff salaries and overhead costs would be the same.
8) They pay subscription fees for entertainment: Services like Netflix or Spotify are for people with employment income. For the same monthly amount, you can buy used CDs or DVDs at a second-hand store or pop-up flea market, and listen to tunes or binge watch at home, or on a portable player.
9) They make impulse purchases, just because they have money in their pocket. That painting of Elvis on velvet may have seemed like a bargain at $10 on cheque day, but you could get it for $2 on the 27th of the month, from the guy who could only afford to own it for four weeks.
10) They don't bargain hunt for telecommunications carriers: I pay about $70 a month for Internet and landline phone from Teksavvy, and I no longer have Cable TV - my feud with Rogers will be the topic of another post. I have no need of a cell phone; if I'm out, I don't WANT people to be able to contact me. If someone on a low income NEEDS to have a cell phone, they have to do without some other purchase that's non essential. It's a question of priorities.
Bottled water can be had for 2 bucks for a 24 pack. Reuse it and they can get pretty gross pretty fast. Or when at home tap of course.
Local library has plenty on offer. Or you you have internet and even a ghetto computer you could just download the stuff. 1: Fuck them, they would do the same thing if they were working the car wash, 2: They talk down to people like they are idiots [downloading isn't the same as walking off with physical profit, not all pirated materials represent lost sales] and 3: If you are going to begrude some guy with 300 bucks to spend on food, clothing etc some pirated content, that person can go fuck themselves.
A pimps and drug dealers at virgin mobile costs 100 a year. I don't make many calls, I do everything on the facebook. I end up using less than a 1/3 of my minutes.
