Rural Women, Employment and Poverty in Wellington County

One of the themes that this blog has touched upon most often is the additional barriers that clients living in Wellington County face. This is accentuated in the case of rural women in Wellington County, which is the subject of today's blog.

When researching the major issues facing rural women living in Wellington County, I came across 2 reports, a 2006 Report by Opportunities in Waterloo Region entitled 'Rural Poverty Research: Working Poverty in Waterloo Region and Wellington County' (henceforth, OWR Report - http://www.owr.ca/RuralPovertyReportAug2006.pdf) and a 2005 Report by the Training Adjustment Board for Waterloo-Wellington entitled 'Rural Women's Needs Assessment Study: Wellington County and Ontario' (henceforth, TAB Report - http://www.wwtab.com/Files/English/Rural_Women_Needs.pdf).

Some of the common problems faced by Rural Women include:

• Transportation
• Lack of Opportunity
• Rural Training Unavailable
• Childcare
• Lack of Permanent Positions
• Physicial disability/Health Concerns
• Lack of Experience
• Few High-Paying Jobs
• Lack of Government Support
• High Stress Levels and Depression
• Chauvanism
• English as a Second Language
• Training Programs are not well promoted
• Employers are not committed

A number of these issues have been touched on before. Transportation is perhaps the biggest barrier; many rural women do not have driving licences and even if they do, they cannot afford to run a vehicle. There is a Greyhound bus which runs once a day from Owen Sound to Guelph on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays and this goes through Mount Forest and Arthur, two of the places where the Clinic has satelitte offices this summer. Harriston and Palmerston are not served by Greyhound. However, a return fare costs $40.70 from Mount Forest and $30.10 from Arthur.

There is no other public transit provision in Wellington County except for the new service called Wellington Transportation Services. This is a new initiative set up by the Rural Wellington Transportation Group which includes the County of Wellington Social Services, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health, VON Community Support Services and the Community Resource Centre of North and Centre Wellington. These organisations have banded together in order to create a volunteer driver service for those living in the County who need to go to Guelph or elsewhere for necessary appointments. To find out if you are eligible, please call the following toll-free number: 1-866-694-9562. An excellent overview of transportation options for those living in Wellington County can also be found on the United Way website: http://www.unitedwayguelph.com/newsletters/july07_social3.html. The cost and availability of transportation is therefore an enormous barrier for rural women.

Childcare is another large barrier faced by rural women who are looking to return to work. The OWR Report quotes 2006 figures of $28-$50 a day for childcare in Wellington County; the larger amount is usually paid for babies or very young children and undoubtedly, these figures have increased in the past two years. The TAB Report states that the prices and availability of childcare makes evening and shift work almost impossible for rural women.

In addition, there are barriers to actual employment itself. There are more rural women looking for jobs in the County than there are employment opportunities and many employers hire for part-time or contract work rather than full-time employment. Although this may be advantageous for some of those who are seeking to return to employment gradually, the lack of job security coupled with the lack of employment benefits that contract and part-time jobs offer are definite barriers for rural women. Furthermore, many rural women do not have the experience, qualifications or credentials that employers are seeking and many of the jobs are low-paying or minimum wage jobs meaning that it is difficult for rural women to make ends meet, particularly for those who may be paying for childcare.

These problems are accentuated if rural women are living alone and do not have the financial - and emotional support - of another adult. Isolation is a huge problem in rural communities and the TAB Report notes that chronic unemployment can often lead to stress and depression, which in turn leads to less employable individuals as potential employers are unlikely to strive to employ those with long-term physical and/or emotional disabilities. Lack of support from the Ontario Government is also a significant factor; the TAB Report indicates that Ontario Works does not provide enough financial assistance to low-income individuals and families and that women starting their own businesses are not supported to a high enough level to keep them out of debt.

Self-employment is one potential avenue but the TAB Report highlights a plethora of potential problems: many rural women reported that they had difficulty acquiring business loans because of their limited credit history and the bank's perception of them as high-risk. In addition, self-employment often has a negative effect on rural women receiving government benefits and many rural women reported that even if their business was initially successful, government benefits were suspended with the result that there was no safety net if their business failed.

Finally, the training opportunities are limited for rural women. Many training programs for those looking to upgrade their skills and/or education are offered out of Guelph, which is over 1 hour away. As Devin and I have found, road construction in the summer means that it can take over almost an hour and a half to get to and from Mount Forest from Guelph. As we have touched on before, even if rural women have access to cars, winter driving is extremely hazardous in the County, which will inevitably lead to missed training opportunities or days at work. Few training opportunities exist in rural communities and there is a lack of funding for training opportunities and those that are provided are often inadequately funded or promotion of these opportunities in Wellington County was either non-existent or insufficient. Furthermore, online training is also often not even an option because either low-income individuals cannot afford the cost of a internet connection themselves but also due to a lack of high-speed internet in the county.

Perhaps the saddest part of this entire blog is that many of these same points have been made repeatedly in Report after Report but there is little to no action on improving the prospects for rural women beyond the occassional burst of light such as Wellington Transportation Services. It is beyond the scope of this blog to offer solutions to all of these problems, although the Reports themselves do offer some. However, as the Northern Boundary Project begins to wrap up, Devin and I will seek to consolidate all possible online and telephone resources available to those living in the County - especially low-income individuals, men and women - on this blog to provide a one-stop shop of information to our clients living in Wellington County.

County Statistics and Barriers

In keeping with the theme of discussing life for the actual residents of the north of Wellington County, today's posting will offer a statistical snap-shot of life in the areas of Wellington North (including Arthur and Mt. Forest), the township of Minto (including Harriston and Palmerston) as well as Guelph and Ontario as a whole, as comparison points. Of course, readers should always be aware of the dangers of statistics: their tendency to show only part of the entire picture and to be manipulated. The statistics which follow come directly from Statistics Canada's 2006 Community Profiles and the 2006 Census. Hopefully the data gives readers a partial sense for life in the County versus Guelph and the Province as a whole – at least as much as can be relayed through numbers.

Median Income of all families in 2005 (sum of the total before-tax incomes of all members of a census family)
Wellington North: $64,169
Minto Township: $61,434

Guelph: $74,927
Ontario: $69,156


Median Income of Female and Male Lone-parent families in 2005

Female Lone-parent families
Wellington North: $35,146
Minto Township: $30,062

Guelph: $38,690
Ontario: $36,496

Male Lone-Parent families
Wellington North: $58,506
Minto Township: $52,591

Guelph: $59,988
Ontario: $50,339


Median monthly payments for Rented Dwellings
Wellington North: $671
Minto Township: $645

Guelph: $800
Ontario: $801

Median monthly payments for Owner-Occupied Dwellings
Wellington North: $766
Minto Township: $826

Guelph: $1,205
Ontario: $1,046



Education

Percentage of population, 15 years and older, who do not hold any sort of certification, diploma or degree (including High School, College, Trades, University, etc.)
Wellington North: 35%
Minto Township: 34.9%

Guelph: 20.4%
Ontario: 20.5%

Percentage of population, 15 years and older, whose highest educational achievement is a High School certificate or equivalent
Wellington North: 29.8%
Minto Township: 28.5%

Guelph: 27.6%
Ontario: 26.8%

Language

Percentage of population who have no knowledge of either English or French
Wellington North: 2.4%
Minto Township: 0.84%

Guelph: 1.1%
Ontario: 2.2%


While statistics of the northern Wellington County region clearly vary from provincial averages and those of Guelph, there are still identifiable trends which are not lost simply because these communities are of smaller make-up. Female lone-parent families have lower household incomes than those of male lone-parent families – a stark gender difference that is seen across our and many other societies and which puts women at a greater economic disadvantage than men. Clearly, gender issues are bigger than the size of town you live in. What does appear to be a more localised phenomenon is that female lone-parent families in Minto Township and Wellington North gross less in a year than the provincial average while male lone-parent families actually gross more. So, while it is no surprise that provincial trends reflecting economic inequalities between men and women would also be found in more rural communities, the fact that they are perhaps further accentuated here is of note and speaks to the possibility that low-income women in the County may face more barriers than low-income men and low-income women who live in more urban centres.

Housing costs appear to be more affordable in the County. Rent is around 15-20% lower than in Guelph which is a plus for those renting, especially the County's more vulnerable members. By contrast, a lack of public transportation leading to heavy reliance on personal vehicles and the large distances to other towns and needed services may negate any savings to be had by the County's low-income residents.

As was alluded to by Richard in the previous posting, lack of transportation is perhaps one of the greatest barriers faced by low-income residents living in the north of the County and may contribute to create secondary barriers such as isolation. This speaks to the importance of having agencies extend their services to these areas instead of expecting residents of these areas to come to them. The Legal Clinic is trying to do just that. By opening satellite offices in four communities in the north of the County we hope to increase access to justice for people who may otherwise have not known about our services or felt they could not access them because of the distance to Guelph from where they live. Transportation is of course only one barrier a client may face. Other factors such as language may prevent someone from accessing services or even knowing they are there. Small communities can also be very intimate with word of people's problems spreading quickly in a community where everyone knows everyone to some degree. People may not access needed services because of a fear that their personal problems will become neighbourhood gossip. These are all factors that service providers must be aware of if they are to be effective and relevant.

Without a proper analysis of more data, including that from other jurisdictions, it is hard to say whether this statistical snap-shot of Northern Wellington County shows variations that are really statistically significant or whether they are relatively close to the provincial average compared to other communities. Statistical technicalities aside, what is clear is that there are real differences in areas such as income in the north of the County compared to an area such as Guelph. This will have real effects on people living in these jurisidctions especially when taken together with the additional barriers that one may be faced with living in more rural areas. Further research into these more vulnerable populations would seem appropriate along with strategies to increase services to these areas. Legal Aid Ontario in particular, with it's focus on increasing access to justice, should not fall behind the curve in devising ways of outreaching to these populations and is commended for supporting Clinics like the Legal Clinic of Guelph and Wellington County in the pursuit of this goal.

Ontario Works in the County

One of the most important functions that the Legal Clinic performs is helping people who are having income maintenance problems. This essentially encompasses people who are trying to get onto Ontario Works (OW) or who have been on OW but have been temporarily suspended or cut off. OW is available to residents of Ontario who are in immediate financial need and who are willing to participate in employment assistance activities.

Given that OW is based out of and administered in Guelph, we thought it may be beneficial to check with OW to see how they serve Wellington County residents. Anna McGregor, the Employment Services Manager, kindly responded to a list of questions that I sent to her.

OW used to administer their system by way of home visits. In 2002, this changed with the introduction of the new Provincial OW computer system. Home visits were no longer possible because of the required access to the computer system. However, where there are medical issues, an OW Caseworker can visit the participant in their own home. OW has participated in a rural transportation strategy for the past several years and have finalized a method of transporting rural people through the use of the Volunteer Driver Service. Wellington County Social Services provides $95,000 per year for this service.

The main reason that an OW worker would pay a home visit is if the participant is just not physically able to get around. If the participant is travelling for any other purposes, it would be expected they would access the Volunteer Driver Service. When it has been established the participant truly does not have any access to transport and they are unable to access the Volunteer Driver Service, a Caseworker will visit them at their home. However, home visits are rarely performed and rarely requested by participants.

OW acknowledges that the need to reschedule appointments on a regular basis is significant but they note that missed appointment numbers are just as high proportionately in the City as they are in the County. Participants often do not indicate their reason for non attendance.

OW insist that they recognize the additional barriers participants in rural communities face. In addition to loneliness and isolation, County residents face a lack of services, including healthcare and a lack of employment opportunities.

Harriston...and Winter in Wellington County

Two weeks ago, we were back in Harriston. Talking to our friends at the Early Years Centre in Harriston, it appears that they are on the move!! A new building is currently being constructed for them in Mount Forest and it is anticipated that the hub of their operations will be moving to the Forest within the next year. Programs will continue to run at the Early Years Centre in Harriston but obviously these will be reduced as their operations shift to the Forest.

In addition to the library with its free internet access, Harriston has a food bank run through the local churches and of course the EYC is available to provide free childcare services. Of course, there are also many specific challenges that low-income county residents face which should not be overlooked. Chief among these – and hard to imagine on a glorious day like today with the temperature at 30C plus – is the cold Ontario winter.

The winter brings with it a host of challenges, foremost of which are rising energy costs. Those on a fixed income, such as recipients of OW and ODSP face higher prices each year for basic necessities including electricity, natural gas and hot water and in view of the rising oil prices, it is almost inevitable that these rates will again jump considerably this winter. These budgetary demands reduce the funds available to spend on other necessities including food, clothing, shelter and medicine.

One of the many organisations that is working to support low-income individuals that suffer from ‘energy poverty’ is the Low Income Energy Network (LIEN) (www.lowincomeenergy.ca). In April, they were successful in obtaining an Ontario Divisional Court decision which ruled that the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) has the ‘jurisdiction to establish a rate affordability assistance program for low income individuals’. It remains to be seen whether the OEB creates such a program before this winter. Nevertheless, the Legal Clinic will be replete with resources this winter that will be aimed at giving clients who are having problems paying their utility bills as large a range of alternatives as possible.

Perhaps the other greatest challenge that the winter brings to those living in Wellington North is simply the ability to get around. Staff at the EYC told us that they were forced to cancel a number of programs in the winter as they were unable to travel to the communities where the programs were to be offered because of the hazardous road conditions. While those in Toronto complain about the time it takes to plough their streets, residents living in Wellington North often face multiple highway closures, instituted by the Ontario Provincial Police for safety reasons, and have to clear their own driveways and residential streets of snow. It can’t be much fun to try to do this and then find either that there is simply too much snow to move or that they will have to miss work or vital appointments in Guelph because of road closures.

Devin and I will be in Mount Forest on Tuesday 8th and Wednesday 9th, where Devin will hopefully have time to blog about our day in Palmerston last week.

Legal Clinic in Mount Forest Confederate

After a few weeks wondering whether our presence in the Forest would be picked up - the Confederate called to coordinate a time for an interview. The article does a good job of capturing the scope and purpose of the Northern Boundaries Project. We thank The Confederate for taking the time to report on this great initiative and helping spread the word in the community. The story can be found on page 13 of the June 18, 2008 edition of The Confederate.

Arthur - Gateway to the North

Arthur is a community of about 2100 and located at the crossroads of Highway 6 and Wellington County Road 109 around 35 minutes north of Guelph. It describes itself as the Gateway to the North and has been proclaimed as Canada's most patriotic village due to the large enlistment of local men and women during the two World Wars.

Arthur is currently undergoing a summer makeover! In addition to the construction on the highways that Devin has touched upon, particularly at the aforementioned crossroads, a brand new Library and Medical Centre are currently being built just off George Street, the main thoroughfare through Arthur. Both are scheduled to open in September/October 2008. We visited the current town Library which kindly agreed to house our posters and has two computers offering free internet access. The Librarians informed us that these are extremely busy, particularly after 3pm when the school day ends. Happily, the new Library will have 6 brand new computers with internet access when it opens in the fall.

While we are in Arthur, we are based on the 2nd Floor of the Wellington County Learning Centre (WCLC) at 179 George Street. This is an invaluable non-for-profit organisation which has served residents of Wellington County for 20 years. Although based in Arthur, the WCLC (http://www.thewclc.ca/) serves all of Wellington County apart from in the City of Guelph, which is served by Action Read (http://www.actionread.com/). The WCLC offers a large number of programs for adults and youth, including small group programs which are run out of the office in Arthur and one-on-ones which can be done anywhere in the county.

The adult programs are funded through the Ontario Ministry of Training, Skills and Universities Skills Investment Branch and the youth programs are funded through United Way. All programs offered through the WCLC are learner-centered and tailored to each individual's short and long-term goals. The adult programs include help with literacy, numeracy and computer training. In addition, the WCLC offers the Academic Career Entrance (ACE) and General Education Development (GED) programs. The ACE program is an adult upgrading certificate program for adult students seeking admission to a post secondary college program or an apprenticeship who either did not receive their Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or have an OSSD but are missing the couses required for post secondary admission whereas the GED is recognised by colleges, apprenticeships and employers an an equivalent to an OSSD.

The WCLC also provides a number of valuable services to low-income residents in Arthur. They have 5 computers located on the second floor of their building, which have free internet access. They also are the only place in town where you can fax documents – usually for free – and photocopying which is 10 cents/page.

Mount Forest - "High, Happy, Healthy"

June 10th and 11th the Legal Clinic attended its space in Mount Forest (herein referred to affectionately as 'the Forest') for the first time this summer. The town's motto "High, Happy, Healthy" is clearly visible from the water tower as one approaches from neighbouring towns.

We are using space located in the town’s old post-office, on the second floor. On weeks in the Forest, we will be one day in an office used pre-dominantly by the Rural Women’s Support Program (RWSP) – a wonderful program run by one of our partner agencies, Women in Crisis. RWSP is a program designed to bring all the programs and services that Women in Crisis offers to the County. Our partnership with RWSP seems most suited given our shared goal of increasing accessibility of services to people who live in the County and have no means of traveling to Guelph. We thank them for allowing us to use both their Palmerston and Mount Forest locations.

What one will immediately notice on their way up Highway 6 from Guelph towards the Forest is the incredible amount of highway improvements that has begun for the summer. The trip up to the Forest generally takes an hour. With the improvements underway, Richard and I discovered that our commute has been extended by 50% and takes closer to an hour and a half. For regular travelers to, from and in Toronto our complaints may fall on unsympathetic ears, however, this is the North of Wellington County where inconveniences such as this are not as routine as morning and evening traffic to and from the Core. I wonder how this will affect low-income persons attempting to travel to Guelph to access services. With up to 50% increase in travel time to Guelph cab fares will no doubt be substantially increased as travelers sit in traffic. Precious dollars spent filing up one’s tank with gas to attend an appointment in Guelph won’t go as far either as people find themselves sitting in traffic, idling. I suspect volunteer driving services may not be able to shuttle as many people around as they would have before if travel-times are substantially increased by these delays.

Highway Improvements – a hassle for Richard and I. A potential new barrier low-income persons in the County may now be forced to deal with.

On a more positive note, we were delighted to be approached by a reporter from the Mount Forest Confederate last week. We spent some time with him answering questions and explaining why the Clinic had set up the County offices and what we hoped to achieve. We look forward to seeing an article in the next edition of the Confederate!

Richard and I were a bit perturbed to discover a number of our posters we had put up had either been removed or covered up from various ‘event boards’ doted around the town. Although we try to find room for everyone’s postings, others appear to simply take the easier route and simply take-down or cover-up postings they deem unimportant… In our conversations with other County agencies we’ve come to learn that one of the biggest challenges faced by service providers is getting the word out there that they are there to help. Even if you can do this, people may still simply assume you cannot assist them with their particular issue and may still not come to see what you have to offer. I suspect this will be an ongoing logistical issue: ensuring our posters remain up so that people actually see them and know we are in their communities and encouraging people to feel comfortable enough to come and ask how we can help. The former can be addressed with a health supply of posters; the latter may prove more of a challenge.