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w w w . o a kv ill eb ea ve r.c o m O A KV IL LE B EA V ER W e dn es da y, D ec em be r 1 , 2 01 0 1 6 By Christina Commisso METROLAND WEST MEDIA GROUP Sasha Menezes doesnt strike you as some- one who lives in poverty. Shes internationally educated, holds a degree from the University of Toronto and comes from an affluent family. However, the 41-year-old also struggles to keep a job and, at times, to feed her children. Theres a big stigma against poverty, but theres a bigger stigma against mental illness, the Burlington resident said. Menezes is manic- depressive and shes frustrated. Every time I get sick, once again I lose whatever gains I earned, she told the audience at Mondays Leadership Summit on Poverty Reduction. Its harder for people who have my kind if illness to get engaged and have a voice. Im not sure what the solution is, but its nice you guys want to help. The event, held at the Halton Regional Administrative Centre in Oakville, brought together people who are living in poverty along with community service agencies and govern- ment and business representatives. It comes down to an issue of urgency, said keynote speaker Mark Chamberlain, chair of the Hamilton Roundtable on Poverty Reduction. If a child isnt fed, they are hungry. If a child isnt fed and goes to school, they typically dont learn. If they dont learn, they usually dont graduate and if they dont graduate or do poorly in school, they use the health care and justice system more. Their health outcomes are poor and, like in Hamilton, they die 21 years earlier than their counterparts, he said. If a child is hungry, and they go to school, feed them. Chamberlain encouraged members of the audience to speak out against governments lack of action toward poverty reduction. If you hear theyll work on the economy first then focus on poverty, be angry. You cannot have a health plan without a poverty plan. You cannot have an economic plan, if you dont have a poverty plan. In Halton, 8.5 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line. In Oakville its 9.7 per cent and in Burlington the rate is 9.5 per cent. Part of the day was spent completing a Living the Math exercise, which had partici- pants work out a monthly budget based on a fixed income that a single person receives on Ontario Works ($561) or someone receiving dis- ability insurance ($1,080). We could not make it work, said Halton Hills Councillor Clark Somerville of the budget- ing exercise. We had a difficult time getting near those numbers. Right off the bat a one bed- room apartment in Halton is around $750 a month. Somerville, along with members of regional staff and community leaders, have taken the Donated Diet Challenge, where for three days hell only eat donated items donated from food banks. This has been an eye opening experience, he said. Im not doing this to make us feel sorry for people. Its to help us understand how diffi- cult it can be for some people to buy fresh fruit or that people in our community have to decide between paying their hydro bill or buying food. Somerville hopes to organize a meeting between the Region and the business sector to develop a strategic plan to address poverty in Halton. Menezes said she hopes the summit will help the more fortunate in Halton be more apprecia- tive of the simpler things in life. I would love to meet at Tim Hortons for a cup of coffee, but theres just no money for it. She said shed like to play badminton more often, as it helps deal with her bipolar disorder, but she cant afford the $4 fee to play. I dont have the $20 at the end of the month, but that exercise keeps me out of the hospital. Menezes said providing those living under the poverty line with simple items, such as a Tim Hortons card, could make a world of differ- ence. However, for the time being, the mother- of-two worries about putting food on the table. Ive already run out of money for the month. Summit put spotlight on poverty in Halton If you hear theyll work on the economy first then focus on poverty, be angry. You cannot have a health plan without a poverty plan. You cannot have an economic plan, if you dont have a poverty plan. Mark Chamberlain, chair of the Hamilton Roundtable on Poverty Reduction