Media Advisory/ACORN Canada: Single Mothers on OW and ODSP in Ottawa are Demanding the Ontario Liberal Government Stop Clawing Back Child Support Payments

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Sept. 24, 2015) - Ontario ACORN members are calling on the Minister of Community and Social Services Helena Jaczek to put an end to the Ontario government's long standing policy to claw back every penny of child support payments to single parent families on ODSP and OW.

ACORN member Amber Slagtenhorst explains: "As a single parent on social assistance with 6 children, I find surviving to be almost impossible to get by after paying rent and my bills. I cannot keep the $464/month in child support that my children's father is paying because I have to claim that amount monthly to the social assistance office, which then deducts it dollar-for-dollar off of my next cheque."

"If we could keep the child support payment in full, my children would have a fighting chance of being lifted out of poverty. Lots of single mothers are choosing to stay in unhealthy and emotionally or physically abusive relationships rather than live in poverty."

ACORN is demanding:

1) An immediate increase of the ODSP and OW Housing Allowance to meet market rent

2) End the dollar for dollar clawback of child support payments for disabled parents or parents on social assistance

Presently, a single mother with one child living on ODSP Assistance struggles to survive on a maximum of $1625 dollars per month, a rate that has only increased by $157 over the past decade. Over the same time period the cost of essentials like clothing, shelter, health and personal care items have increased by 17.2%. Worst of all food prices have jumped by almost 25%.

ACORN Canada was successful in getting the BC government to end their child support clawback of social assistance cheques. After a 10 month campaign that was led by single mothers, the BC Finance Minister announced in the 2015 budget speech that the BC government would allocate the $13 million needed to stop the clawback.