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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, April 25, 2013 | 6 Spotlight "Connected to your Community" Volunteers Heather Leaver and Lori Koenen portion beans at Fareshare food bank -- just one of several food banks operating in Oakville. Barrier after barrier -- the cycle of poverty by David Lea and Julia Le Metroland West Media, Halton photo by Nikki Wesley ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog) If you are a newcomer, single mom, senior, have a disability or mental health issues, you're more likely to fall into poverty, according to Community Development Halton (CDH). Poverty is deepening, particularly within these groups, according to research by the charitable non-profit organization, which is committed to social development. Newcomers, for example, face significant challenges, says CDH Social Planning Director Ted Hildebrandt. "Aside from cultural and language problems, there's the challenge of finding a job," he said. Having previous credentials recognized, and obtaining Canadian work experience, which most jobs require, persist as major roadblocks, Hildebrandt continued. Some newcomers must go to school to requalify or upgrade skills -- having to do so while juggling work and family. In 2009, Statistics Canada estimated six in 10 newcomers end up working in different fields than those in which they worked abroad. Single parents are also listed as a group vulnerable to poverty. CDH Research Associate Rishia Burke spoke about a woman in Burlington who is working three jobs to support her children. Part III Burke said she would love to engage this woman and let her know about programs available, but said she is not optimistic about such a meeting being arranged. "I will not be able to engage that mom. I don't even know when she sleeps. How will I reach those kids to find opportunities for them because this family is so busy just surviving?" she said. "How do you include them in community building opportunities when that mother is dealing with the stress and the complexity of working three precarious jobs?" People unable to work because of mental health issues or disabilities, senior women who have lost their husband and rely on old age security income are others struggling with poverty in Halton. Pointing to a poster of a person who accesses Community Living North Halton services, CDH Executive Director Joey Edwardh asked, why Living in Poverty: A Special Report is a fourpart Metroland Halton Division series examining the complex issue of poverty in the affluent region's communities. The series examines those who find themselves struggling to survive and who face deprivation, exclusion and isolation as a result. It looks at poverty's multiple dimensions, those who deal with it on a daily basis, contributing factors and barriers, possible solutions and resources that can offer assistance. we, as a society, are keeping him poor. "Is it his fault he was born with a disability? Where's our dignity in this society?" she asked. It is a struggle far too few in Halton understand, Edwardh said. "At one of our focus groups the other day a business man said, `Anyone can save for retirement.' And I was sitting there and thinking of all the (people) we work with. His choice may be not to take a summer vacation, but you can't tell me eating is a choice," said Edwardh. "I just think we have destroyed the opportunity for choice, which is one of the huge issues when dealing with poverty and we have been so punitive to our low-income people." There is a growing list of those falling into poverty as people face barrier after barrier. Students are getting into heavy debt, even with assistance of programs like the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP). The cost of post-secondary education remains expensive and there's a struggle to pay off student loans because of the difficulty in finding a job or one that pays sufficiently after graduation. Other barriers people living in poverty encounter include income insecurity, lack of transportation and the high cost of housing and food. Income Security The general minimum wage for Ontarians is $10.25 an hour. If you're a student under age 18 and you work less than 28 hours a week when school is in session or you work during a school holiday it's $9.60 an hour. The minimum wage for liquor servers is $8.90 an hour. "Minimum wage is about survival and a living wage is about inclusion," noted Hildebrandt, quoting a colleague in Toronto he felt best described a person's struggle with poverty. Time and again, Hildebrandt said, he hears from residents juggling multiple jobs to support their family. CDH has been developing research on what a living wage is for a person to feel included in the community. It has also been knocking on people's doors to really understand the barriers those living in poverty face. In 2011, CDH released a report called Honouring the Voices of Marginalized Communities, see Agency on p.8