Poverty Central

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The Face Of Energy Poverty in Hamilton
Presentation by Tom Cooper, McQuesten
Legal Community Services
Photos courtesy of the Hamilton Spectators
Poverty Project www.thespec.com
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Hamilton, Ontario, 1907 The Electric
City

• 100 years ago, Canadian cities exploded in growth
• Hamilton took advantage of affordable local hydro
  power to expand industry / benefits to residents
• According to promotional brochures in the 1920s
  "Hamilton was home to the cheapest hydro power in
  the entire world.
• Jobs were plentiful, Steeltown boomed

3
Hamilton, Ontario 2007

• Highest Poverty rate in Province of Ontario
• 96,000 residents live below low income cutoff
  (enough to fill Copps Coliseum more than 5 times)
• Heat, hydro costs are escalating and driving more
  Hamiltonians into deep poverty

4
Tonight, 400 men, women and children will sleep
in an emergency shelter in Hamilton
Photo courtesy of Wesley Centre, Hamilton
5
14,200 families in the City are at risk of
homelessness because they pay too much for
housing utilities
6
There are 15,000 visits to Food Banks every month
in Hamilton one out of four Children are growing
up in poverty
Photo courtesy of the Hamilton Spectator
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What is Poverty in Hamilton?

• From a Hamilton Mother
• A lot of people I work with at ..(local donut
  store) are single moms who have trouble feeding
  their kids. This store used to let us take home
  food that they were going to throw away I used
  to take home bagels so that I could feed my kids.
  At the store were not allowed to take food home
  anymore

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Who is Poor in Hamilton?
Chart courtesy of SPRC the Hamilton Roundtable
For Poverty Reduction
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Need

• HOUSING EMERGENCY LOAN PROGRAM
• Over the last three months 75 low income
  Hamiltonians received interest-free loans from
  the Housing Emergency Loan Program to maintain
  utilities
• CITY OF HAMILTON UTILITY ARREARS PROGRAM
• 693 low income households (OW, ODSP and working
  poor families) have received assistance from a
  partnership of Share the Warmth and the City of
  Hamiltons Community Services Dept.

10
Energy InSecurity
355 Melvin Ave., March 2005 Hamilton Hundreds of
tenants without heat hot water for more than a
week when landlord doesnt pay hydro bill leads
to push for a local vital services bylaw -Utility
companies are supposed to inform City when
landlord does not pay and service cut-off is
imminent -City will pay bill and go after
landlord for outstanding monies, so that tenants
are protected
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(No Transcript)
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Energy Poverty
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Its not just about the Cold
14
Hamilton needs an effective heat strategy

• At Risk Residents
• Seniors, Persons with Disabilities (incl. mental
  health illnesses), young children, people who are
  homeless and people living in low-income housing
  unable to afford cooling costs to help
  maintain health

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Hamilton has third highest annual humidex (above
35 degrees) in Canada