July 2021: Information Sharing Edition
In this edition:
- Lunch & Learn: Impact of COVID on Marginalized Populations
- Income Remains Flat in Windsor but Low-Income Families on the Decline
- City to Continue Measured Approach to Reopening
- Be Back Soon Translated Posters
- Play in the Park - Town of Kingsville
- Youth Members Needed for the Youth Wellness Hub Advisory Committee
- Community Family Fitness Centre is Now Open in Windsor
- Y Works is Currently Recruiting
- Camp Yomee Summer 2021
- WEST Enhanced Language Training Program
- In the News
- Local COVID-19 Information & Resources
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Lunch & Learn: Impact of COVID on Marginalized Populations
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Vulnerable and marginalized populations in our communities have faced disproportionate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Join the Windsor Essex Local Immigration Partnership, WE Value, and Pathway to Potential to learn more about the impacts of the pandemic on Newcomers to Canada.
Thursday August 12, 2021
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
The event will be held over Zoom
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Download a flyer featuring the Impact of COVID on Marginalized Populations Lunch & Learn.
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Income Remains Flat in Windsor but Low-Income Families on the Decline
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Statistics Canada released data on the 2019 Income of Families and Individuals this July. Median income edged up to $54,790 in 2019 and the share of Canadians in low income remained unchanged from 2018: 16.5% of Canadians were in relative low income in 2019.
As reported in the Windsor Star, the Windsor census metropolitan area lags $2,080 behind the national median, after-tax income, but the region has managed to move about a 1,000 families/individuals out of low-income situations. The median, after-tax income in the Windsor CMA in 2019 was $52,710.
The percentage of families living in low-income was 18.6% in 2019 and has remained flat compared to last year (18.5% in 2018).
The Windsor CMA reduced the number of families/individuals in the low-income category by 1.5 percentage points since 2014 (20.1% were living in low income in 2014). That was the sixth best improvement in Canada from 2014-19.
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City to Continue Measured Approach to Reopening
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The City of Windsor is taking a measured approach to reopening, including renewed access to municipal services and facilities, as the province moves into Step 3 of the Reopening Ontario plan.
Transit Windsor will continue to operate on an enhanced Saturday schedule until September, when secondary and post-secondary students are anticipated to return to in-person learning.
A reminder that the Affordable Pass Program (APP), funded by Pathway to Potential, is still available for eligible residents of Windsor-Essex.
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Be Back Soon Translated Posters
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Connections Early Years Family Centre’s Be Back Soon program is now extending unlicensed short-term child care to qualifying parents with young children while they attend their vaccine appointments.
ELIGIBILITY:
You live in these postal codes and you require unlicensed short-term child care while you attend a vaccine appointment: N8H, N8X, N8Y, N9A, N9B, N9C and N9Y.
Translated copies of the Be Back Soon poster are available for download in:
Please contact Connections Early Years Family Centre for more information or to book an appointment at 519.252.9696.
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Play in the Park - Town of Kingsville
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Play in the Park is a new, free neighbourhood program offered in July and August by Kingsville Parks and Recreation and funded by Pathway to Potential.
Watch as staff drive into your neighbourhood with toys and games to encourage unstructured free play, and physical literacy skills.
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Youth Members Needed for the Youth Wellness Hub Advisory Committee
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A Youth Wellness Hub (YWH) is being developed for Windsor-Essex.
These Hubs serve as fully integrated “one-stop-shops” for youth aged 12-25, to address their needs related to mental health, substance use, medical care, education, employment, training, housing and other community and social services.
We are looking for a diverse group of youth with lived mental health experiences to be part of the Advisory Committee that will inform important decisions about the YWH. This includes the location, services to be offered at the Hub, décor, programming and more.
Deadline to apply: August 6, 2021
Send your name, age, address and contact information to:
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Community Family Fitness Centre is Now Open in Windsor
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The Community Family Fitness Centre is a social enterprise venture by Windsor Family Homes & Community Partnerships. Profits from the facility will help create and sustain health/wellness/support programs for those in need in Windsor/Essex County.
The centre offers supports for the vulnerable population including free access to personal trainers and sport and fitness programming for children and youth who may not otherwise be able to afford it.
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Y Works is Currently Recruiting
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Y Works is a paid skill building and employment support program for youth and young adults.
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Sending on behalf of the Directors at Camp Yomee
Campers of all backgrounds from ages 6-13 are invited to come for our summer of fun-filled activities, centrally located at Ouellette and Tecumseh at the Windsor Jewish Community Centre.
Summer 2021 camp will run on Tuesdays to Fridays.
Session 1 runs August 3-13 & Session 2 runs August 17-27. Families can choose to register for both sessions (August 3-27).
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WEST Enhanced Language Training Program
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The Women's Enterprise Skills Training of Windsor Inc. (WEST) is actively recruiting for the ELT (Enhanced Language Training) Program. This free program is a sector specific training for newcomer women with backgrounds in Finance, Accounting, Bookkeeping, Banking, Administration, or Business.
Following the in-class training is a 4-week work placement (volunteer) to assist participants to gain Canadian/relevant work experience.
Start/End Date: September 7 – November 26, 2021
Schedule: M-F, 9:00am-2:30pm
Eligibility:
- Work experience OR education related to Finance, Accounting, Banking, Administration, Bookkeeping, Business
- Permanent Resident or Convention Refugee
- CLB 5 or Higher
- Female Participants only
Note: Hybrid Learning Model
Childcare and transportation support available to eligible to eligible clients at no cost.
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City Council Approves Homelessness and Housing Hub Concept
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As reported by CTV News Windsor, the City of Windsor will be creating a new homelessness and housing hub after council unanimously supported the vision.
The city has been operating a hub model at Windsor Water World during the pandemic — As of July 2021, over 1,100 unique individuals have accessed services at this site.
Council has delegated authority for the city to obtain the professional services necessary and begin consultations to inform the planning for the Hub, which may include supports for diversion and mediation, outreach supports, healthcare and mental health practitioners as well as addiction counselling.
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Miracle Food Drive Collects over One Million Pounds of Food
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More than one million pounds of food was collected during this year’s “June 27th Miracle” food drive in Windsor-Essex.
The food collected this year stands to feed approximately 15,000 households or 34,000 individuals for one year of food bank usage.
From April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021, the Windsor Essex Food Bank Association reportedly served around 166,000 individuals, and the Unemployed Help Centre served about 115,000 of them — an increase of 74 per cent from the same period the year before, or 8,849 more households.
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Ontario Helping Workers Start New Careers
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The Ontario government is increasing financial supports available and simplifying the application process for individuals applying to the Second Career program.
Laid-off and unemployed workers will no longer need to provide burdensome amounts of documentation to get funding. The program is increasing weekly basic living supports for rent, mortgage and other expenses up to $500 a week. Additionally, transportation and child care supports are being enhanced to better reflect the costs that people currently face.
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Ontario Helping 100,000 Workers Train for In-Demand Jobs
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The Ontario government is investing $5.8 million in free online training to help 100,000 workers gain the skills they need to find good jobs and restart their careers. Courses will focus on building skills most in-demand by employers in fields such as information technology, finance and business administration.
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Ontario Investing in New Opportunities for Children and Youth
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The Ontario government is investing more than $13 million through the Youth Opportunities Fund to support 36 youth and community-led grassroots projects across the province that help build stronger communities.
Applications for the 2021-22 Youth Opportunities Fund grants will open in Fall 2021.
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4,500 More Homes for Canadians
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On June 30th, 2021 the Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, announced the creation of 4,500 new affordable housing units across the country with an additional investment of $1.5 billion through the Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI).
These housing units will support Canadians who are in uncertain housing situations, experiencing or at risk of homelessness, or living in temporary shelters because of the pandemic.
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Swiss Study Suggests Low-Income People had Worse COVID-19 Outcomes
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As reported by CTV News, a new Swiss study suggests that people in low-income neighbourhoods are less likely to get tested for COVID-19, but more likely to have contracted the virus, become hospitalized and die from complications associated with the disease.
Compared to people in low-income neighbourhoods, people in the wealthiest neighbourhoods were:
- 18% more likely to have been tested for COVID-19,
- 25% less likely to test positive,
- 32% less likely to be hospitalized,
- 46% less likely to end up in the ICU,
- 14% less likely to die from the disease.
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Local COVID-19 Information & Resources
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Ontario is currently in Step Three of the Roadmap to Reopen, as of Friday, July 16, 2021. Step Three focuses on the resumption of additional indoor services with larger numbers of people and restrictions in place.
The three-step plan is based on the provincial vaccination rate and improvements in key public health and healthcare indicators.
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The guide provides information on scheduling a vaccine appointment, childcare and transportation supports that are available for high priority communities, what happens at the vaccine appointment, and what to do if experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.
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The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, the City of Windsor and the County of Essex, Windsor Regional Hospital and Erie Shores HealthCare want to ensure that you know where to turn for the latest information as vaccination opportunities become available to different groups in our region.
For the latest information on the COVID vaccines, how to register for your vaccination, mass vaccination clinics, and more, visit WEVax.ca.
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Drive-Thru/Walk-Up Food Hub Locations:
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EAST WINDSOR
Unemployed Help Centre of Windsor Inc.
6955 Cantelon Dr., Windsor, ON
P: 519-944-4900
WALK-UP OPEN:
Monday, Wednesday, & Friday
9:30 AM to 2:00 PM
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WEST WINDSOR
Adie Knox Herman Recreation Complex
1551 Wyandotte St. W., Windsor, ON
DRIVE THRU/WALK-UP OPEN:
Tuesday & Thursday
11:00 AM to 2:00 PM
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For food hamper deliveries/referrals call UHC's Food Assistance Helpline:
519-944-4900 ext. 3
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Municipal Social Investment Efforts
City of Windsor
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Stephen Lynn
519-255-5200 ext. 5302
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Teresa Falsetta Aflak
519-255-5200 ext. 6809
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