Canada’s Senate has unanimously adopted a comprehensive, 283-page report that calls on the federal government to implement a national housing plan, poverty reduction strategy and other measures on income, health, education and training. Under the rules of Parliament, the federal government has until September 20 to formally respond. In From the Margins sets out 74 practical recommendations from housing and homelessness to […]
'Right to housing' legal challenge launched today
Everyone in Canada has the right to a home – and the federal government has a responsibility to realize that right. That’s the basis of a legal challenge launched today by a coalition of housing and legal advocates. The Wellesley Institute is providing policy support to the new coalition, including expert evidence on funding and legislative decisions by […]
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Cashing In? Payday Lending And The Need For An Alternative
“Get cash in as little as 30 minutes!” “No credit, no problem!” Do these slogans sound familiar? The ability to borrow cash fast–no questions asked–has become big business in Canada. Payday loans–small, short unsecured loans–seem to be commonplace these days. But who uses them and why? Why don’t people just turn to banks to borrow […]
Continue ReadingCashing In? Payday Lending And The Need For An Alternative Download PublicationPayday Lending: In Search Of A Local Alternative
‘Big Society Bank’, more co-ops and public service: UK govt sets out new policies for social sector
Britain’s new coalition government has announced plans to create a ‘Big Society Bank’ using funds from dormant bank accounts to help finance neighbourhood groups, charities, social enterprises and other non-governmental groups. Building The Big Society – a new policy document released on Tuesday from the Conservative – Liberal Democrat government – sets out five key […]
First UforChange grads celebrate their successes with family, friends, community
The first graduating class of UforChange – almost 50 dynamic youth from Toronto’s St James Town neighbourhood – got their certificates and celebrated their success in a day-long showcase on Sunday, May 16, at the jam-packed Parliament Street studio space. They were cheered on by proud parents, sisters and brothers, friends and many others from […]
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Youth graduates of UforChange get cheers from enthusiastic audience
About 200 enthusiastic fans crowded into the Isabel Bader Theatre on May 15 for the VivaCity talent showcase. The showcase featured the talents of the almost 50 youth who have graduated as the first cohort of UforChange, an arts-based youth training and employment initiative of the Wellesley Institute and our partners. The play included amazing […]
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‘Cutting through the fog’ aims to make sense of poverty measures
“If we don’t make sense of poverty measures, we will limit our ability as a society to make good decisions about poverty and related issues.” That’s the conclusion of a powerful new paper from the Metcalfe Foundation called Cutting through the fog. The paper, written by social policy analyst John Stapleton and research consultant Richard Shillington, […]
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Third reading debate on Bill C-304 (national housing plan) slated for June
The first round of third reading debate on Bill C-304 – draft legislation to create a new national housing plan for Canada – has been postponed from its scheduled start yesterday. The bill has already passed first and second reading in the Commons, and has been amended at committee after hearings with expert witnesses, including […]
Continue ReadingThird reading debate on Bill C-304 (national housing plan) slated for June
Ontario’s affordable housing waitlists at all-time high; underlining need for comprehensive housing plan
The number of households on affordable housing waiting lists is at an all-time high of 141,635 across Ontario – a jump of almost 10% in the last year. The 2010 survey by the Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association not only shows that the wait for a healthy, affordable home is longer than ever, but the long […]
Toronto mayoral candidates debate affordable homes, May 11
Mark your calendar and plan to attend the Toronto Mayoral Debate on Affordable Housing, sponsored by Habitat for Humanity, on Tuesday, May 11, 2010, at 7.30 pm at OISE, 252 Bloor Street West. When the Wellesley Institute published our Blueprint to End Homelessness in Toronto in 2006, we helped spark a public debate that led […]
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