Leeds-Grenville Receives $376,500
For Making Welfare Work
BROCKVILLE – Bob
Runciman, MPP, congratulated officials from
Leeds-Grenville Social Services Department
for creating opportunities for people to
move from welfare to work. As a result,
they will receive $376,5000 in provincial
funding.
“I congratulate municipal staff for
their hard work, dedication and creativity,”
said Runciman. “These placements are
vital in helping Ontarians help themselves
back to work. When more people work, everybody
wins.”
In 2000/2001, Leeds-Grenville Social Services
created 719 Ontario Works Placements for Ontario
Works participants and exceeded its target
by 234 placements. Placements enable welfare
recipients to gain valuable work experience.
They also provide people on welfare with new
and updated job skills, improved confidence
in their abilities, up-to-date job references,
and contacts with potential future employers.
“Our municipal partners and their
Ontario Works staff deserve congratulations.
In this last year alone, across Ontario,
they have doubled expectations and created
almost 100,000 Ontario Works Placements
for people on welfare,” said Brenda
Elliott, Ontario’s Minister of Community,
Family and Children’s Services. “Every
Ontario Works Placement means work experience
for one more person on social assistance.”
This funding is part of the $60.5 million
rewarded to municipalities across Ontario
for creating Ontario Works Placement opportunities
in 2001/02. The 47 municipalities who deliver
Ontario Works created a total of 98,923
Ontario Works Placements, exceeding the
target of 51,977 placements.
This additional funding will be used to
invest in local community services and is
part of the government’s three-year
Welfare to Work Action Plan. Since 1999,
the Ontario government has provided successful
municipalities with more than $100 million
in additional funding for exceeding their
Ontario Works Placement targets.
“We believe the best social program
is a job. As proud as we are of municipalities
and staff for making Ontario Works work,
we are also proud of the individuals who
have taken advantage of Ontario Works Placement
opportunities and who have moved from welfare
to work,” added Runciman.
Since 1995, Ontario’s welfare reforms
have helped approximately 600,000 people
leave the welfare system.
