A Walk In Other's Shoes 2019: Midpoint Ponderings

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Midpoint Ponderings

By yesterday, most of our challengers recognized that food was not all they had to worry about. Some went back to recalculate the inclusion of hygiene products and other sundry costs. That was an eye-opener.
Today, I am suggesting that there is another dimension to poverty-time. It takes time to survive on a low-income. Time to walk when cars are not an option. Time to hand wash laundry when there is no money to cab over to the laundromat and pay for services. Time to mix up that bread from scratch. All of our challengers are employed (except for our busy retiree) full time. It hasn't been said yet, but undertaking the challenge and finding the time to blog twice a day is exhausting when you are trying to fit in work responsibilities. In addition, one challenger is still trying to navigate into the blog. Given that the Ontario Works application is an on-line application and our challenger is an intelligent woman, I wonder how many give up on obtaining benefits because of tech barriers?

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About A Walk In Other’s Shoes

The monthly rate for Ontario Works as of October 2019 is $733 for a single person. The maximum amount allowed for shelter is $390 and maximum for basic needs is $343.00 per month. The average private market rent in Kenora is $510.00 for a bachelor unit and $718.00 for a one bedroom. Rents do not include utility costs which are often separate for tenants. Wait periods for subsidized units are years long and highest for single adults.

Our challenge involves the basic needs allowance which is $390.00 per month. This works out to about $63.00 for a five day period. Remember that this covers all living costs beyond rent including clothing, transportation and medication and sometimes must be used to pay the discrepancy between the allowable shelter benefit and the real world cost of shelter.

We recognize that it is impossible to replicate real poverty nor would we find volunteers. The challenge is meant to facilitate public conversation on poverty issues. Before taking action in your day, concerning such things as heating the home to a comfortable temperature, using personal supplies, accessing devices such as the internet or cell phone or washing clothes after being only worn once, attempt to reflect on whether the $63 could include the cost of those items. Attempt to keep those “usage” costs to a minimum.

This is a self-regulated challenge. The purpose of the challenge is not to prove that you can live on a limited budget but rather to share the experience of struggling to move forward in life without adequate resources. The challenge is about fiscal realities, documenting the emotional cost of poverty and publicizing the resources that ease hardship.