100 Main St East, Suite 203, Hamilton, ON L8N 3W4905-667-3595

August 12, 2018
Join Us! A community briefing on the future of the Basic Income Pilot Project. When: Wednesday, August 15th at 1:30pm Where: Safe & Healthy Communities Committee of Hamilton City Council / City
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Save Basic Income… We need your help

Save Basic Income… We need your help

August 5, 2018
The new provincial government has cancelled the Ontario Basic Income Pilot project, breaking a campaign promise to let the project continue for the full three years.  Participant Jodi Dean working
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Basic Income is changing lives in Hamilton

Basic Income is changing lives in Hamilton

July 23, 2018
Jodi is one of more than 1,000 local basic income pilot participants in Hamilton. Read how her life is changing.
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Action Priorities

A Basic Income in Hamilton
In spring, 2017, the Government of Ontario announced Hamilton and two other Ontario communities would par­ticipate in a 3 year pilot project to test the idea of a basic income. There's now a national and international focus on Hamilton as a result of the pilot project
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Voting to End Poverty
In 2018, Hamiltonians will vote in provincial and municipal elections. Campaigns are an important time to remind politicians about issues that matter. We want to encourage low-income residents to make their voices heard through their votes! Check back in August, 2018 to learn more…    
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Reforming social assistance in Ontario
People living on provincial social assistance experience the deepest poverty in society. Rates are inadequate to meet even basic needs such as housing, food or warmth. It's time to provide opportunity and restore dignity for all those who rely on social assistance. Everybody deserves a future!
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The Right to Housing
Gentrification and rising property values are leading to skyrocketing rents in Hamilton. Families are being priced out of their homes and displaced by large property management companies that often hike rents in multi-residential apartment buildings.
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Accessing Financial Supports
New financial benefits such as the Canada Child Care Benefit, the working income tax credit and the seniors' guaranteed income supplement could provide hundreds of dollars a month in additional income for low-income families in Hamilton, but nearly 7,000 families don't file taxes and lose out on more than $40 million in financial assistance that could help reduce poverty.
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Ending Predatory Payday Lending
Payday Loans appeal to people who fall into a financial emergency and need quick cash to pay a bill or put food in the table, but borrowing can quickly cascade into deep debt. Outlets in Hamilton often locate in lower-income neighbourhoods and use misleading advertising to hide high interest rates. At least 16,000 Hamiltonians borrow about $50 million worth of payday loans annually.
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Living Wage Hamilton
In Hamilton 29,335 people work but don't earn enough at their jobs to move out of poverty. Precarious work, irregular scheduling, short-term contracts and lack of access to health, dental and prescription drug benefits all contribute to a cycle of working poverty for too many working people in our city.
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Speakers Bureau
The purpose of the Speakers’ Bureau is to empower individuals by giving voice to their lived experience with poverty and social exclusion.  The concept’s origins stem from the Shifting Attitudes work group of the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction; founded to combat pervasive negative stereotypes and promote educated dialogue around the community implications and costs...Read more
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