The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

The Oakville Beaver, Friday October 27, 2006 - 15 United Way coalition says GTA/905 communities underfunded By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Oakville United Way is joining forces with other organizations in the GTA to lobby the provincial government for a more equitable distribution of funds. United Ways in Oakville, Peel, York and Durham and the GTA/905 Healthcare Alliance have formed the Strong Communities Coalition. The new organization is also supported by the York Region Human Services Planning Coalition and the Peel Fair Share Task Force. "We're all asking for the same thing, so we're working together," said Oakville United Way CEO Barbara Burton. What they are asking for is a system in which funding is distributed based on population. The coalition had PricewaterhouseCoopers analyze funding across the province. It found that there is a $1.5-billion disparity in social and health care services in between the rest of the province and the GTA/905 region. It said the GTA/905 receives $181 less per capita in social services funding and $246 less per capita in health care services. "The audit demonstrates that provincial funding for health and social services in the GTA/905 are not keeping pace with the huge population growth taking place in the regions," said Shelley White, CEO of the United Way of Peel, in the coalition's news release. "The result is that GTA/905 residents are waiting longer for services; or they are forced to leave their communities to access services or they are simply going without services." "If we were funded by population we could maintain our youth services, which are not only diminished but could be cut," Burton said. "It's a cycle. If you don't solve problems for youth, it becomes more complicated and more severe. If you help social service you'll have a strong, healthy, vibrant community that are able to add more to the community." In some cases, Burton said that funding means that only half the job is being done. "There's a women's treatment program that's funded by the government," she said. "Once they finish the program, they send them back to the shelter because there's no housing. It's like sending back to the firepit." Oakville United Way supports 31 programs. Its goal this year is to raise $2.25-million to help support those programs. In her three months since becoming CEO, Burton has been visiting United Way clients to get a first-hand look at what they do and the challenges they face. "They are all underfunded and stretched to the nth degree," Burton said. "I've been so taken by the passion of the people to support people through their difficult times." Burton said those programs could be funded better. "Nobody acknowledges that we're underfunded. We're not asking the government for more money," she said, "just for it to be distributed differently." Exclusive men's dress and sportswear from many of the world's finest collections Canali · Ermenegildo Zegna · Paul & Shark Service Selection Style Monday to Wednesday and Saturday 9 am to 6 pm Thursday and Friday 9 am to 8 pm · Sunday 12 pm to 4 pm 183 Lakeshore Road East - Downtown Oakville · 905-845-8911 www.garveysmenswear.com · Free parking at rear of store