City Of Toronto Backs Down On Special Diet Forms

This is to let everyone know that Zahra Noor and her children will now have their right respected to apply for the Special Diet Supplement. After having been denied the right to make an application, Zahra refused to be refused and worked with OCAP to challenge Ontario Works. They have now agreed to reverse their decision and the family will be able to seek Special Diet income to alleviate the poverty and hunger the welfare system imposes on them.

We'd like to thank all those who helped us by calling and emailing the Chair of the Community Services Committee of Council. The response was overwhelming.

BACKGROUND:

PLEASE CIRCULATE THIS FAR AND WIDE

The Ontario government's cut of the special diet allowance in November 2005 forced thousands of people living on assistance and receiving the special diet to re-apply under new regulations. These new regulations were intended to severely limit access to the special diet funds. Most people re-applying will no longer qualify for the special diet money. Even, with entitlement limited by legislation Toronto welfare offices are choosing to go beyond regulation, to further limit access to the special diet money.

This is Zahra Noor's situation please read below and take immediate to action to support this family.

Zahra Noor and her children live on welfare, the family lives on 1100 a month. They are now receiving some money under the Special Diet Policy. Zahra feels that there are medical conditions in the family that might entitle them to additional income. She needs welfare to provide her with special diet forms to allow her to do so.

When she asked the Wilson Social Services office for application forms to apply for the food supplement, Zahra was told she could not have them. She came to OCAP and we called the Head Office at Metro Hall. She was then told by Metro Hall to go back to the Wilson office and speak to her welfare worker. Unable to reach her worker, she went to the office and, after a two hour wait, was given a special diet form for herself only. She was told she would not be provided special diet forms for her 7 children. Zahra was instead handed photocopies of her previous applications and told to take these to her doctor. If the doctor felt any new medical conditions existed, he would have to contact the welfare office and, only then, would they provide her with her children's special diet forms that would allow her to go to the doctor again and then reapply for the Special Diet for her children.

Assuming this to have been a typical case of improper denial that local offices make up as they go along, OCAP went with Zahra back to Metro Hall. We were informed that their ironically misnamed ‘Client Services' office stood by the decision of the Wilson Office.

We next took Zahra over to City Hall and had an impromptu meeting with Sean Hill, the Executive Assistant to Councilor Joe Mihevc. Mihevc, in his capacity as Chair of the Community Services Committee arranged for a motion to be passed at Council, last December, that called for Social Services staff to be trained in such a way as to ensure that no one would be denied a Special Diet benefit they were entitled to. Despite assurances by Hill that the matter would be dealt with before the day was out, two days have elapsed without our hearing from him and our follow up call has gone unanswered.

We are urgently calling for help in dealing with this abuse. The management of Social Services, at the highest level, has demonstrated that no trick is too shabby if it will keep poor families from obtaining some means of eating properly. The politicians at City Hall have gone on record as saying the Special Diet should be given wherever the rules allow it to be granted. Joe Mihevc's office has to be pressured to take this seriously and ensure this family living in poverty is not prevented from seeking supports they qualify for.

Please call or email Sean Hill, Executive Assitant to Councilor Joe Mihevc and urge him to give Zahra her application forms and ensure Toronto welfare offices follow their own rules; allow access to the special diet allowance.
Ph: 416-338-5302
e-mail:shill@toronto.ca (Please CC to ocap@tao.ca)

If a few days of this pressure does not bring a favourable result, we will be taking this to the Mayor's Office, in the form of a mass delegation, and asking for your support at that time. If you need anymore information on the matter, call John Clarke at OCAP at 416-925-6939.

Thanks for your help
-OCAP