English (PDF): bit.ly/OAITHHRPosterEN- ACTIVE
English (Editable Word Doc.): bit.ly/HarmReductionPosterOAITHEN
French (PDF): bit.ly/OAITHSuavezUneVieFR- ACTIVE
French (Editable Word Doc.): bit.ly/SauvezUneVieOAITHFR- ACTIVE
Access this resource page here:
English: bit.ly/OAITHHRPosterResourcePage
French: bit.ly/OAITHPageDeRessource
English (PDF): bit.ly/OAITHHRPosterEN- ACTIVE
English (Editable Word Doc.): bit.ly/HarmReductionPosterOAITHEN
French (PDF): bit.ly/OAITHSuavezUneVieFR- ACTIVE
French (Editable Word Doc.): bit.ly/SauvezUneVieOAITHFR- ACTIVE
Access this resource page here:
English: bit.ly/OAITHHRPosterResourcePage
French: bit.ly/OAITHPageDeRessource
This study explored some vital issues faced by on-reserve women's shelter directors and staff. Specifically, this study deals with the problems that many of these shelters face in their communications and transactions with Band Chiefs and Councils because of the way INAC (Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada) funding flows. This study uncovers advantages and disadvantages of incorporating on-reserve shelters as non-profit entities with a governing Board of Directors, determines the advantages of an incorporated non-profit shelter entering into a Comprehensive Funding Arrangement (CFA) directly with INAC to receive funding, and explored the advantages and disadvantages of the NACAFV (National Aboriginal Circle Against Family Violence) becoming the administration vehicle for flow-through funding for First Nations on-reserve shelters.
In this toolkit, the term "inclusion lens" refers to ways of looking at social and economic exclusion and inclusion. It is a tool for analyzing legislation, policy, programs, and practices to determine whether they promote the social and economic inclusion of individuals, families, and communities. It is designed to encourage transformations in how services, policies, and legislation are modified, developed, and re-conceptualized to ensure inclusivity for all people. The Inclusion Lens provides a way to being dialogue with excluded groups, raise awareness about how exclusion works, and identify steps to move toward policies, programs, and practices that will be inclusive.
This toolkit provides a practical tool that allows organizations to apply an integrated anti-oppression framework to their practice. It will be useful for Executive Directors, Program Managers, Boards or Directors, and others who review and create policy in service organizations. This toolkit is designed to help community service organizations become better able to reflect the values, belief, and experiences of everyone in their community, and to ensure there are no barriers or inqualities within the organization's working practices and in how services are provided and to whom.
In its response to the Law Commission of Ontario (LCO)'s proposed reforms to the family law system, OAITH raises some challenges about underlying assumptions in the LCO proposal. First, that violence against women will routinely be accurately identified, and second that when violence against women is identified, the family law system will respond appropriately. OAITH emphasizes the importance of recognizing intersectional barriers to family law justice, the lack of resources clearly dedicated to making changes effectively, the changing Ontario family, and the impact of social policy and budget cuts on women's lives.
On April 19, 2006, OAITH made a submission to the Federal Government in its Pre-Budget Consultation process. The submission highlights OAITH's position and recommendations for ensuring the government budget considered its role in supporting services for women who have experienced violence and for taking steps to end violence against women. The areas of concern covered are:
- Social Assistance Program
- Employment and Economic Security for Women
- Affordable Housing
- Childcare
- Legal Aid
- Aboriginal Women's Services and Supports
- Newcomer Services and Supports
- Non-governmental Women's Services and Advocacy Networks
On April 2, 2012, OAITH responded to the Ontario budget which was tabled on March 27, 2012. OAITH raised its concerns with the fiscal plans of the Government of Ontario as outlined in the budget. The letter covered the following topics:
- Social Assistance and the Ontario Child Benefit (OCB)
- Structural changes to social assistance and employment supports
- Affordable and low-income housing supports and child care
- Women's services
- Efficiencies and consolidation harming services for women who have experienced violence where often underfunded and overburdened services, women's shelters, second-stage housing, rape crisis centres and women's centres often face disproportionate administrative reporting per public dollar than many much larger public services.
On April 21, 2009, OAITH submitted a brief to the Standing Committee on Social Policy regarding Bill 152, the Poverty Reduction Act 2009. The issues raised related to the challenge that women were often faced with unfair choices of poverty or violence, food or rent, and their health and well-being of their children. Women who use shelter services often report experiences of poverty as a major challenge in re-building their lives. OAITH applauded the principles of the poverty reduction initiative, and offered the following recommendations for strengthening its positive impact for women who experience violence. Recommentations included:
- Including recognition of the gendered nature of poverty in the preamble and specific clauses of the Act.
- Setting targets to include a minimum poverty reduction target and timeline.
- Identifying effective strategies that include affordable, publicly funded child care, pay and employment equity, match social assistance to the cost of basic needs, education and training, housing supports, among others.
- Incorporating a transparent, independent review into the strategy.
- That a minimum percentage of the provincial budget be allocated to poverty reduction on an ongoing basis.
- That 'poverty reduction' be re-worded to say 'poverty elimination'.