Employment and Income Support Community Advisory Committee

Transcription

1 Media Release: Thursday, March 29, 2018, 4:30 p.m. Regional Municipality of Waterloo Employment and Income Support Community Advisory Committee Agenda Friday, April 6, :00 a.m. 11:30 a.m. Room Frederick Street, Kitchener, Ontario 1. Declarations of Pecuniary Interest under the Municipal Conflict Of Interest Act 2. Approval of the Agenda and Minutes Page 3 3. Introductions 4. Presentations / Consultations 4.1 Ontario Works Update C. Frias and S. St. Louis 4.2 Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning in EIS N. Bailey-Dick 5. Business Arising / Updates 6. Local Program Challenges / Updates 7. Information/Correspondence 7.1 CSD-EIS-18-02, Ontario Works Caseload Oct Dec Page 8 8. Other Business

2 EISCAC Agenda /04/06 9. Next Meeting - Friday June 8 th 9:00 a.m. 11:30 a.m. 150 Main St. Cambridge, Corporate Boardroom 10. Adjourn A note on parking: If you will be driving your own vehicle to the EISCAC meeting at 150 Frederick St., Kitchener, you can park and pay at the underground parking garage beside the Kitchener Public Library on Queen St. The entrance to the parking garage can be found at 83 Queen St., at the corner of Queen and Roy

3 3 3 Regional Municipality of Waterloo Employment and Income Support Community Advisory Committee Minutes Friday, December 8, 9:05 a.m. 99 Regina Street, Waterloo Room 508 Present were: Chair J. Mitchell, F. Bond, J. Bond, S. Duhn, E. Friesen, C. Garcia, S. Hostetler, B. Maier, K. Morgan-Bowyer, L. Myers*, J. Nowak, J. Tuer, M. Webster, and N. Whittington Members absent: K. Bickford, E. Cober, S. Collison, S. Dietrich-Bell, A. Fisher, C. Frias, J. Fenton, J. Frandsen, L. Hundt, B. Martin, S. McDermid, D. McLeod, S. Michener- Potts, C. Schoenfeldt, and C. Simpson Also present were: K. Eva*, K. Fox, S. Gilles*, S. Nicholson, and M. Pearson* Declarations of Pecuniary Interest Under The Municipal Conflict of Interest Act None declared. Introductions The Committee Members and guests provided self-introductions. Approval of the Agenda and Minutes Moved by J. Tuer

4 4 4 EISCAC Minutes /12/08 Seconded by E. Friesen That the Employment and Income Support Community Advisory Committee approve the agenda for December 8,. Carried Moved by J. Tuer Seconded by E. Friesen That the Employment and Income Support Community Advisory Committee approve the minutes of October 6,. Carried Presentations / Consultations 4.1 Data strategy for Employment and Income Support (EIS) *L. Myers entered the meeting at 9:10 a.m. Sarah Gilles, Case Presenting Officer, and Matt Pearson, Supervisor, Call Center, explained that Employment and Income Support is currently working on developing a process to assess how the Region s services are assisting people to achieve their short and long term goals. S. Gilles led the Committee though a consultation on the draft questionnaire which is appended to the original minutes. *S. Duhn entered the meeting at 9:25 a.m. S. Gilles stated that the findings should be complete in April 2018 and that staff will follow up on the outcome of the process. *K. Eva, S. Gilles, and M. Pearson left the meeting at 9:48 a.m. 4.2 The Province s Modernization Plan for EIS Kevin Fox, Manager, Employment and Income Support, provided an overview of the work that the Region is undertaking to align with provincial government s plan to modernize Employment and Income Support. He explained that the provincial government has developed a report titled Income Security: A Roadmap for Change, which has been recommended by the Region s Community Services Committee. He noted that the Region s focus is to improve outcomes for citizens by integrating services and using quality of life indicators and data to make decisions. S. Duhn stated that the province s modernization plans include developing an app that will allow individuals to communicate with case workers and access their information

5 5 5 EISCAC Minutes /12/08 from a mobile device. The Committee cautioned the province to remember that not all participants have easy internet access. The Committee recessed at 10:05 a.m. and reconvened at 10:20 a.m. E. Friesen noted that she has received a message from past member, Birgit Lingenberg, sending greetings to the Committee. 4.3 EISCAC Topics for 2018 The Committee considered possible topics for the Committee to discuss in Topics that were considered included updates on the EIS integration pilot, the basic income guarantee pilot, and the affordable transit study. Business Arising / Updates 5.1 Membership Updates N. Bailey Dick Nina Bailey-Dick, Social Planning Associate, introduced Shannon Nicholson, Director of Clinical Counselling, Carizon Family and Community Services, who has volunteered to join the Committee as the Community Counselling and Support Representative. S. Nicholson provided a background of her experience. Moved by J. Tuer Seconded by E. Friesen That the Employment and Income Support Community Advisory Committee endorses the following appointments to the Committee as follows: Appoint Shannon Nicholson (Community Counselling and Support Representative) for a term ending December 31, 2021; Reappoint Frederick Bond (Participant Member) for a term ending December 31, 2021; Reappoint Melissa Webster (Participant Member) for a term ending December 31, 2021; and Reappoint Dianne McLeod (Community Placement Supporting Agency Representative) for a term ending December 31, Carried Local Program Challenges / Updates J. Nowak informed the Committee that Conestoga College has cancelled The Focus for Change and Discover Your Future programs and is creating two new pilot programs. One of the programs will be focused on development of soft skills and the other will be

6 6 6 EISCAC Minutes /12/08 looking at computer skills. She stated that more information can be shared at the next meeting. J. Mitchell stated that the Municipal Women s Election School will be running on January 27, 2018 to provide information to women who may be interested in running for office in S. Nicholson noted that Carizon Family and Community Services offers walk in counselling on Tuesdays which is currently underutilized. She offered to provide the information to the Committee members to circulate to their networks. Information/Correspondence 7.1 CSD-EIS E&IS Modernization Received for information. 7.2 CSD-EIS Updated Ontario Works Discretionary Benefits Program Budget Received for information. 7.3 CSD-EIS Ontario Works Caseload: July September Received for information. 7.4 CSD-EIS Provincial Income Security Report Received for information. Next Meeting February 2, Regina St. S. 9:00 a.m. 11:30 a.m. Adjourn Moved by K. Morgan-Bowyer Seconded by F. Bond That the meeting adjourn at 10:51 a.m Carried

7 7 7 EISCAC Minutes /12/08 Committee Chair, J. Mitchell Committee Clerk, T. Brubacher

8 8 8 Region of Waterloo Community Services Employment & Income Support Report: CSD-EIS To: Chair Geoff Lorentz and Members of the Community Services Committee Date: February 27, 2018 File Code: S09-80 Subject: Ontario Works Caseload: October - December Recommendation: For Information. Report: This report provides an update on the Ontario Works (OW) caseload for the fourth quarter of (October - December). Employment & Income Support (EIS) caseload activity is monitored by Community Services, along with Treasury Services/Corporate Services on a monthly basis and reported to Council quarterly. OW is an employment-focused program that provides citizens of Waterloo Region with employment, financial, and social supports for improved quality of life by: Working with the clients to create an employment or self-sufficiency plan in order to assist them to achieve their potential and an improved quality of life; Engaging with employers and the labour market to ensure there are jobs to which to refer clients; and Collaborating with internal partners and community to support client needs across service sectors, such as health, housing and education. Caseload numbers are influenced by external factors such as education levels and the local economy. Table 1 is the total OW caseload for the fourth quarter (October - December ) with comparisons to the third quarter (July - September) and the fourth quarter in the previous year (October - December 2016) Page 1 of 4

9 9 9 February 27, 2018 Report: CSD-EIS Table 1: Caseload Size Caseload Size* Third 2016 % of Change Third to % of Change 2016 to ROW OW 9,226 9,253 8, % % Caseload Ontario - OW Caseload 252, , , % % *As reported in December Social Assistance Operations Performance Reports. Numbers are an average of the three months in the quarter. Table 2 provides information on the indicators related to employment that are tracked to show how many clients were employed and compares the Region to the Province. Just over thirteen per cent of clients in both the Region and the Province continue to receive OW supports while earning money from employment because their earnings have not reached the threshold level for ineligibility. (see #3 and #5). Low earnings from employment are not enough to live on but can indicate a positive connection to the community and more job experience which may lead to a better quality of life and better job opportunities. Table 2: OW and Employment OW and Employment* ROW - Number of cases with Employment 1,269 1,208 Earnings 2. Ontario - Number of cases with Employment 31,744 30,385 Earnings 3. ROW - % of caseload with employment earnings 13.88% 13.98% 4. Ontario - % of caseload with employment earnings 13.45% 12.88% 5. ROW - Average monthly employment earnings per $827 $765 case 6. Ontario - Average monthly employment earnings $825 $789 per case 7. ROW - % of terminations exiting to employment % 13.34% 8. Ontario - % of terminations exiting to employment 16.16% 15.05% 9. ROW - % of caseload exiting to employment % 0.70% 10. Ontario - % of caseload exiting to employment 1.00% 0.85% 1 % of terminations to employment means the per cent of OW cases that left OW because they were beginning to earn enough employment income that they were no longer eligible for the program or clients who have asked to have their OW case closed as a result of beginning employment. 2 The percent of cases exiting to employment from the total current caseload Page 2 of 4

10 10 10 February 27, 2018 Report: CSD-EIS OW and Employment* ROW Number of exits to employment Ontario Number of exits to employment 2,362 1,997 *As reported in the December Social Assistance Operations Performance Reports. Numbers are an average of the three months in the quarter. To understand the broader economic context within which OW functions, Table 3 provides the unemployment rates for the fourth quarter of with comparisons to the fourth quarter of 2016 and third quarter of. While these numbers suggest that it should be easier to find employment in Waterloo Region relative to Ontario as a whole, there is often a lack of alignment between OW participants education and / or skill level relative to the jobs available (e.g. advanced manufacturing and tech sectors). Table 3: Unemployment Rates Seasonally Adjusted* Area Third 2016 Waterloo Region 5.0% 4.5% 5.1% Ontario 5.7% 6.1% 6.2% *As revised by Statistics Canada. Numbers are an average of the three months in the quarter. Lastly, a brief update on the Ontario Disability Supports Program (ODSP) is provided in Table 4. ODSP is provincially funded and operated; however, there is inter-dependence between these programs. OW is often the intake point for clients who are then referred to ODSP once they are deemed eligible as a result of a disability. ODSP clients may be referred to OW employment programs and are eligible for supports through the OW Discretionary Benefits program. Table 4: December Ontario Disability Supports Program Caseload* Area Waterloo Region Third 2016 % Change Third to % Change 2016 to 12,107 11,954 11, % + 4.2% 3 The total number of cases that exited either due to employment income making them ineligible or as a request to exit because they have achieved employment Page 3 of 4

11 11 11 February 27, 2018 Report: CSD-EIS *As reported in the September Social Assistance Operations Performance Reports. Numbers are an average of the three months in the quarter. In summary, the tables demonstrate that for Waterloo Region the caseload numbers for ODSP have risen over the last year and have increased slightly from the third to the fourth quarter of. The Waterloo Region caseload numbers for OW have decreased slightly between the third and fourth quarter of while the numbers are still higher than a year previous. Relation to Quality of Life Indicators: OW is an employment-focused program that provides citizens of Waterloo Region with employment, financial, and social supports which improve quality of life by increasing Economic Well-Being, Social Inclusion and Equity, Physical and Emotional Well-Being, Skills Development, and Relationships. Corporate Strategic Plan: This report addresses the Region s Corporate Strategic Plan , Focus Area 4: Healthy, Safe and Inclusive Communities and Strategic Objective 4.2: Mobilize efforts to reduce poverty and the impacts it has on Waterloo Region residents. Financial Implications: Eligible costs related to the Ontario Works program are cost shared with the Province. In, the cost sharing ratio was 97.2%/2.8%. The cost sharing upload was completed in January 2018 at which time the Region s obligation to contribute to eligible program costs terminated. The Region continues to pay 50% of the OW cost of administration. Costs related to the ODSP caseload are the sole responsibility of the Province. Other Department Consultations/Concurrence: Corporate Services / Treasury Services was consulted in the preparation of this report. Prepared By: Nina Bailey-Dick, Social Planning Associate, Employment and Income Support Carolyn Schoenfeldt, Director, Employment and Income Support Approved By: Douglas Bartholomew-Saunders, Commissioner, Community Services Page 4 of 4