I am an individual who lives under the poverty line. I have been on ODSP since 1988 and haven't received a reasonable raise since 1991. I am very fortunate to be living in a subsidized apartment because if I wasn't I'd be living on the street. My monthly income is 699.00, which includes a 62.00 special diet supplement. The most ODSP allots us for rent, as a single person, is 500.00 at the most to pay for rent and utilities. Where, in this day and age, is anyone supposed to find an apartment for that much. Even bachelor apartments run over 550 to 600 a month. That's just an example of rent hikes. I guess we could live in a shabby roach old roach infested room in some dirty rooming house or hotel room but where's the dignity in that??? There are more and more people out on the streets because they have to decide whether they're going to pay the rent of spend their money on groceries. As a single person, we're allotted 600.00 for basic needs. Has the federal government seen how much it costs for food today?? A loaf of bread is close to 4.00, milk almost 6.00, a 10 lb bag of potatoes almost 6.00. How many people do we figure have committed suicide because they can't handle just getting by from month to month. I know of a few. These are just examples. If I kept going, I'd be here for a week explaining what it's like to thrive from month to month, with nothing else to look forward to but a check at the end of each month. I definitely would love to see the day that justice done and people never having to worry about how they're going to pay the rent again or how they're going to be able to afford a decent healthy meal that includes fresh veggies, milk and protein.
I am an individual who lives under the poverty line. I have been on ODSP since 1988 and haven't received a reasonable raise since 1991. I am very fortunate to be living in a subsidized apartment because if I wasn't I'd be living on the street. My monthly income is 699.00, which includes a 62.00 special diet supplement. The most ODSP allots us for rent, as a single person, is 500.00 at the most to pay for rent and utilities. Where, in this day and age, is anyone supposed to find an apartment for that much. Even bachelor apartments run over 550 to 600 a month. That's just an example of rent hikes. I guess we could live in a shabby roach old roach infested room in some dirty rooming house or hotel room but where's the dignity in that??? There are more and more people out on the streets because they have to decide whether they're going to pay the rent of spend their money on groceries. As a single person, we're allotted 600.00 for basic needs. Has the federal government seen how much it costs for food today?? A loaf of bread is close to 4.00, milk almost 6.00, a 10 lb bag of potatoes almost 6.00. How many people do we figure have committed suicide because they can't handle just getting by from month to month. I know of a few. These are just examples. If I kept going, I'd be here for a week explaining what it's like to thrive from month to month, with nothing else to look forward to but a check at the end of each month. I definitely would love to see the day that justice done and people never having to worry about how they're going to pay the rent again or how they're going to be able to afford a decent healthy meal that includes fresh veggies, milk and protein.